Mastroberardino

Established in 1750 by Pietro di Berardino (he adopted the title of Mastro, which eventually merged with Berardino) and officially registered in 1878 by Cavalier Angelo Mastroberardino, Campania’s Mastroberardino is one of Italy’s great winemaking estates.

The first of these, Fiano, features in several DOC and IGT wines, most notably in the Fiano di Avellino DOCG, established in 2003 (Greco di Tufa was accorded its DOCG in the same year). Antonio and Walter hold the credit for having saved the grape following its near devastation by phylloxera in the 1930s, and many see Fiano di Avellino’s DOCG status as their due for nursing a few remaining vines back from extinction and into flourishing. As much as Mastroberardino did for Fiano and Greco di Tufo, it did yet more for Aglianico. The winery also brought this grape back from extinction, but even more, Mastroberardino effectively established Taurasi, a mono-varietal Aglianico, as a world-class wine; Taurasi was formally recognized with a DOCG designation in 1992.

Just as Mastroberardino was the sole producer of quality Fiano for years, it was the sole maker of Aglianico. Among all producers, Mastroberardino recognized the grape’s potential to make a complex, long-aging, layered, and nuanced wine. Campania’s celebrated climate, volcanic soils, and high elevation all provide the ideal environment for this late-ripening grape that delivers a copious amount of black fruit, spice, and minerals. Aglianico produces quality expressions throughout Campania, with the most notable being Aglianico del Taburno, Irpinia Aglianico, and Sannio Aglianico. However the Taurasi zone, Campania’s only red DOCG, has earned a worldwide reputation for its excellence, earning the nickname the “Barolo of the South.”

In 1980, the historic winery and cellars sustained earthquake damage, so the winery received a full renovation. The earthquake also inspired the family to begin sourcing its Taurasi bottling exclusively from one vineyard, the 100-acre Mirabella site, which possesses a clay-calcerous soil that is particularly excellent for high quality Aglianico. The family rechristened the wine Taurasi Radici Riserva for its 1986 debut, with Radici (“roots”) signifying its intimate connection to the region and its varietals. The Mastroberardinos continue to undertake various research projects, including efforts in the areas of aroma detection and classification; polyclonal planting; and viticultural zoning.In 1996, the Italian government chose Mastroberardino for a special project; the estate’s Villa dei Misteri satellite plants ancient grapes in the ancient area of Pompei to craft historical wines. In the mid-90s, Walter left Mastroberardino to begin his own estate, Terredora di Paolo. 

Antonio Mastroberardino largely retired in 1997, and in January 2014, he passed away at the age of 86. Today Mastroberardino is run by Antonio’s sons, Piero (the current president) and Carlo, who share their father’s passion for the region’s indigenous grapes.

Mirabella Eclano - It is the main estate owned by the Mastroberardino family, center of excellence for enotourism and for the diffusion of the vine culture from Irpinia. It is located in Mirabella Eclano, in the heart of the Taurasi DOCG area. The vineyards are surrounded by a large natural landscape, not far from the archaeological excavations of Aeclanum. The estate covers 65 hectares on an hill territory with an altitude between 350 and 450 meters above sea level, containing the most important Mastroberardino facilities: the Radici Resort, the Morabianca Restaurant, The Wine Cellar club and an exclusive range of hospitality services (heated swimming pool, spa, golf course).

The epicentre of Aglianico production, research and experimentation, this estate is spread over several hills with different exposures and is dedicated to the production of red grapes on the slopes characterized by soils with a greater presence of organic matter and volcanic matrix, as well as white grape vines in areas where soils contain more limestone and clay. Aglianico is the main grape variety grown in Mirabella, here are planted 8 of the 12 clones present in Mastroberardino vineyards, included the AV 02, that has been identified inside this estate in 1982 and that, after the first vegetative and productive tests, has passed the stage of mass selection of 1985 and was included in the regional program of clonal and ampelographical selection of the vine. This estate is characterized by the presence of some very old vines of Aglianico (about 50 years old) trained with the cordon system and dedicated to the production of Naturalis Historia Taurasi DOCG.

The other Aglianico vineyards are dedicated to the production of Radici Taurasi DOCG, blended with a selection of grapes from the estate of Montemarano, and of Redimore Irpinia DOC, a wine made from two biotypes of Aglianico selected and multiplied by Mastroberardino in a centenary ungrafted vineyard. In the estate of Mirabella Eclano an important trial has also been conducted, that led to the production of a Falanghina grape variety of great character expressed in the cru Morabianca Falanghina Irpinia DOC. The plots dedicated to Aglianico and Falanghina are planted at a density of 6,000 and 4,000 plants per hectare, much higher than the average density of the area of production. In the estate there are also two hectares dedicated to experimental vineyards of mother plants clones of Fiano and Greco, basic factors in the experimental design of clonal selection of these two varieties. The Mirabella estate also hosts 4 hectares of olive trees for the production of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soleyon from native varieties of Ravece and Ogliarola.