If You’re Traveling to Naples, Italy, Here Are the Wineries You Have to Visit

Produced by Federico De Cesare Viola. Profiles by Ray Isle, Emanuele Gobbi, Åsa Johansson, Giambattista Marchetto, Andrea Petrini, and Flavia Rendina.

Naples has grown ever more popular as a tourist destination in recent years. But after several days of the city’s glorious chaos — and, admittedly, the best pizza on earth — heading out of town into the surrounding countryside to visit some of the great wineries of Campania might come as a needed break.

You can even venture further east to sunny Puglia, or south to hilly Calabria.

Southern Italy’s primary focus is robust reds, from local varieties such as Aglianico, Gaglioppo, and Negroamaro, but there are exceptional white wines to be found, too. And at many wineries, particularly the quartet profiled here, you can find excellent restaurants and, in some cases, equally impressive places to stay.

Ceraudo, Calabria: Crotone

Perched on a hill overlooking the Ionian Sea on the Calabrian coast, the town of Strongoli was once known as Petelia, millennia ago, when this entire region was known as Magna Graecia. Now, in the surrounding countryside, among fields, vineyards, and a small rural village transformed into a hospitality venture both rustic and refined, the work of the Ceraudo family allows visitors to breathe an atmosphere of antiquity. 

The Crotone area is ideally suited to grape vines, thanks to the character of the soil and the proximity of the sea, which moderates temperatures and provides a steady breeze. But the Ceraudo estate isn’t a monoculture. The property is also a large Mediterranean garden, and is surrounded by centuries-old olive trees and citrus groves. All of this surrounds the central nucleus, a 17th-century baronial building, the wine cellar, the oil mill, a tiny church, and the agri-tourism complex. 

This district was once called Dattilo, a mythical race from Greek mythology. It’s also the name of the family’s flagship restaurant (Michelin star since 2011, and also a green star for eco-friendly practices). Under the guidance of Caterina Ceraudo, it has become a source for flavorful, imaginative cooking, with ingredients mostly coming from the organic farm.

Everything is family-run, with Susanna Ceraudo heading up marketing and hospitality, Giuseppe Ceraudo overseeing agronomic management, and Caterina as chef. Oil and wine are the backbone of the experience at the Ceraudo house, but hospitality is key as well, something appreciated by those who arrive here seeking tranquility. 

Among centuries-old olive trees, maritime pines, lemon and pomegranate trees, guests stay in rooms or mini-apartments furnished with local ceramics. Immersed in an area known for its archaeological significance as well as its natural beauty, Ceraudo offers experiences that begin with wine and olive oil, but are enriched with experiences focusing on history, beauty and well-being.

Horseback riding, sailing trips, yoga, and guided trekking are also options. The area is ideal for forest bathing in the nearby Pantano Natural Oasis, with meandering paths among stone pines, elms, eucalyptus, acacias, oaks, willows, and an undergrowth of bramble bushes.

No matter what, make sure to start the day with one of Caterina’s gourmet breakfasts, featuring seasonal fruit, organic juices and jams from the estate’s products, artisanal bread, and local cured meats and cheeses.

Wine to try

Ceraudo Val di Neto Dattilo Gaglioppo

Made from grapes farmed organically on the hills of Strongoli and harvested at night, this is a classic expression of the local Gaglioppo grape. Structured and spicy, it’s a perfect match for the intense flavors of Calabrian cuisine.

Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania: Avellino

Feudi di San Gregorio’s Serpico was one of the groundbreaking wines of Campania, a 100% Aglianico red that, while it receives less aging than the classic Taurasis of the region, was of world-class quality. This expression, perhaps, pointed the way toward a more modern direction for Campania’s wines when it first appeared in the mid-1990s.

It’s also worth noting that while the label on a bottle is no guarantee of a wine’s quality, Feudi’s elegant, modernist, anti-traditional labels, are, in a way, key to proprietor Antonio Capaldo’s basic philosophy (like his father before him): A bottle of wine, and a work of art share the same creative process. The wine labels are the work of Massimo Vignelli, a legend of graphic design who also created the iconic New York City subway map, among many other icons of visual culture.

That’s evident in the winery itself, designed by architects Hikaru Mori and Maurizio Zito, which maintains a kind of austere modernist elegance while at the same time blending into the natural world around it. Visitors are initially greeted by the building’s clean lines and grid-like steel roof, which seems to float above the surrounding gardens. Inside, the majority of the winery exists underground. As you descend, it becomes cooler and darker. Deep inside, the glass cube of the tasting area is suspended over the ranks of wooden barrels, again an interplay of natural and man-made materials. Along the way, be sure to catch the red neon lettering on one wall, a quote from Massimo Vignelli, addressed to Antonio Capaldo:

“The Three Fundamental Bridges in Life Are: Vision, Courage, Determination. He Who Does Not Own Him Deserves Failure”

The architecture and vision (and the wine) here are only a part of the visitor experience, which is summed up by the winery only being part of the greater Borgo San Gregorio project.

At Borgo San Gregorio’s remarkable restaurant, San Gregorio, chef Danilo Uva draws on produce from the estate’s vegetable and aromatic gardens. They produce dishes such as barbecued “Laticauda” lamb with white mulberry chutney and radishes, in a room highlighted by a “nest” of chestnut branches that houses the sommelier’s table and a glass-walled kitchen.

The estate has rooms for guests at its Naturalia Maison and Botanica Maison. A stay at Borgo San Gregorio is beyond just a tasting experience. Yes, taste the wines, but appreciate the play of art and wine and architecture, dine at the restaurant, picnic on the property, explore the vegetable garden, and much more.

Wine to try

Feudi di San Gregorio Serpico

Serpico has power, no question, but elegance as well, and its dark, plummy fruit is balanced by a fresh line of acidity. This signature red also has that rare quality of being an age-worthy wine that drinks well on release. It comes from the property’s historic “Dal Re” vineyard of pre-phylloxera Aglianico vines.

Gianfranco Fino, Puglia

This iconic Apulian winery, founded in 2004 and run by wine maker Gianfranco Fino and Simona Natale, has been key to the growing appreciation for Negroamaro, and, even more than that, the rebirth of Primitivo di Manduria. In just a few years, starting with its purchase of an ancient, 2.2-acre Primitivo vineyard, the Gianfranco Fino winery has become known in the Italian wine world for its overall excellence, and particularly for its Primitivo Manduria ES, a full-bodied, intense, award-winning red. 

Gianfranco Fino is not just a winery, it’s also a great destination in terms of ecotourism. In 2021, the winery inaugurated a new cellar, a standout example of modern, eco-sustainable design, made entirely from local stone, wood, and other natural materials, that integrates perfectly with the surrounding environment.

In addition to the winemaking and barrel aging rooms, the building also has four suites for visitors, offering views of the vineyards of Manduria. There is a wine bar in the courtyard, a tasting room on the ground floor, a charming cellar room for events, and a gourmet restaurant, recently added to the Michelin Guide for Italy. 

ES Cantina & Ristorante, with its panoramic terrace overlooking the vineyards and olive groves, is helmed by chef Simone Profeta. Originally from Naples, Profeta has created a menu that draws inspiration from local products, often harvested directly from the estate’s organic garden, and evolves continuously with the seasons. One of ES Cantina’s distinctive aspects is its pairing philosophy. Rather than having guests choose a wine based on the course, Profeta’s dishes, such as spaghettone with oyster sauce, lime, and Gallipoli prawn tartare, or his braised veal cheek with smoked potato foam and cardoncelli mushrooms, have been created specifically to accompany the different Gianfranco Fino wines.

Wine to try

Gianfranco Fino Negroamaro Salento Jo

The name of the wine, Jo, refers to the Ionian Sea, the same sea overlooked by the ancient vines from which Fino produces this remarkable, red-fruited, savory Negroamaro.

I Cacciagalli, Campania

The Caserta area may not be among the most renowned in terms of its wines, or the first that comes to mind for wine tourism. Yet, it won’t take long to break from preconceptions once you’re enchanted by the beauty of this part of Campania, which extends to the slopes of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina. And once you get to taste the wine that comes from these parts. 

The wines of I Cacciagalli must certainly be included. The Iannaccone family started the winery when they purchased an 18th-century farmhouse, which they enlarged and modernized. There are now 30 acres of vineyards dedicated to native Campania varieties such as Fiano, Falanghina, Pallagrello Nero, and Piedirosso, all farmed according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Olive and hazelnut groves and untouched forest surround them.

Today, Diana Iannaccone and Mario Basco helm I Cacciagalli, and were responsible for the creation of the estate’s wine resort. It offers eight rooms, the Humus restaurant (which focuses on local products according to a “picked and eaten” principle), and a small lake for swimming and relaxation, for which the waters of a nearby stream are purified through coconut microfiber.

Wine and extra virgin olive oil tastings are accompanied by small plates based on local and/or Slow Food products such as Teano chickpea hummus with curry and goat cheese, homemade montanarine (discs of dough that puff up as they fry, typical of Naples), or cream puffs with salmon trout, Pellecchiella del Vesuvio apricots and buffalo stracciata.

Of the various wine tasting options, the one dedicated to L’Anfora nel Bicchiere, which covers the process of making wines in amphora, is particularly fascinating.

Wine to try

I Cacciagalli Fiano Roccamonfina Zagreo

Fiano grapes, grown biodynamically on the volcanic soils surrounding Teano then vinified in clay amphora, result in this fresh, spicy white (though in truth because of extended skin contact, it’s more orange in hue).