NV Mustilli Pet'nat Aglianico 'Regina Sofia'

Region: Campania > Italy 

Grapes: Aglianico

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, volcanic tuffeau soil, fermented in stainless steel, finished in bottle, crown cap, non-disgorged, no added So2; zero-zero; 11% ABV

Winemakers: Paola and Anna Chiara Mustilli

The Mustilli family are pioneers in the town of Sant'Agata dei Goti in Campania, their home since the 1500s, and can lay claim to many ‘firsts’ in the region. They were the first to farm organically (although they refuse to pay for the certification after watching the mafia-like approval of neighboring wineries who are very much not farming organically). Instead they march to their own drumbeat, farming with honesty and integrity. They were also one of the first to recognize the value of planting indigenous Campanian grapes in the 1970’s. And, Lenoardo Mustilli, known as the ‘engineer of Falanghina’ was the first to bottle and sell a varietal Falanghina. His daughters, Paola and Anna Chiara currently run the show, and although they have moved the winery from a small cellar dug 16 meters underneath their home to a new facility, not much else has changed. When they moved, they even brought with them a cultivation of the centuries-old yeast spores to re-cultivate in the new cellar so as not to lose the characteristic profile of the wines. Another thing they made sure stayed the same was the production of the Regina Sofia pet’nat, of which their father briefly ceased production. The people in the town begged them to bring it back, so they acquiesced -- lucky us!

The color is a cloudy pomegranate pink, and the aromas are heady with strawberry and cherry. It tastes like rose-scented berries and fresh herbs and is just 11% alcohol. If you’re feeling brunchy this Valentine’s Day, it would be a fine choice, and ditto if you are feasting on dumplings for Lunar New Year!