Falerno, a prestigious wine, very renowned during the times of ancient Rome, has always been of interests for researchers of the history of enology, praised and appreciated in ancient times, for a long period it seemed to be practically disappeared from the wine scene while being bound to his prestigious fame, almost a legend, of the great times when it had a magnificent splendor. Falerno sets its roots in classic ancient times. During those times it was a wine very appreciated and Pliny the Elder believed it had therapeutic qualities, it was considered by Horace his preferred wine, as well as by Virgil that in the second book of The Georgics wrote «Nec cellis ideo contende Falernis» (therefore no wine can be compared to Falerno). Many other illustrious people of the Roman times praised the qualities and the nobility of Falerno, whose maximum spreading was promoted during Julius Caesar's times. In recent times it was appreciated by Russia's Zar and it was the preferred wine at the court of King Gustave of Sweden and it also became the official wine of the Palace.

	A view from Villa Matilde's vineyards

 After having lived a flourishing period of splendor and fame, which continued until the end of the 1800's, the production of Falerno suddenly stopped for more than half a century because of the terrible devastations of phylloxera which destroyed 95% of vineyards. To the catastrophical events of phylloxera survived few vines which subsequently formed the raw material to which Falerno would have been reborn thanks to the passion of a Neapolitan lawyer, Francesco Paolo Avallone, father of Salvatore and Maria Ida, current proprietors of Villa Matilde, that in his youth was assistant of Roman Law at the University of Naples and in his studies, done in books written by great classical authors, he often found mentions and praises for this great wine. Fascinated by the written witnesses found in the great classical books about Falerno wine, about 45 years ago, lawyer Francesco Paolo Avallone decided that we would have tried to revive this legendary wine. Lawyer Avallone began his studies and, with the help of some researchers of the Agricultural University of Naples, he started a project whose aim was to find out the proper characteristics of the grapes used in Roman times for the production of Falerno, by deducting them from the books of Pliny, Catullus, Columella and all the other authors that directly or indirectly left witnesses useful to the definition of the grape species to be used.

 As a result of these preliminary researches they started investigating about the ancient lands of Falerno, in particular the area of “Massico”, in order to verify whether there still were grapes having the requisites emerged by the researches. At the end of these investigations they found the vines to be used and they exactly found 20 vines having the requisites they were looking for: 10 were of Aglianico, that is the ancient Hellenico grape, a vine introduced in the colonies of ancient south Italy by Greeks, 5 of Piedirosso, (literally “red foot”), so called because of the characteristic color of the stem; two variety of grapes that opportunely vinified and aged would have produced red Falerno, and 5 of Falanghina, the grape used to produce white Falerno, the famous Vinum Album Phalanginum mentioned in the books of the renowned Medical School of Salerno. It seems that Falerno name derived from the deformation of term Phalanginum into Phalernium; therefore it is probably that the original Falerno wine was white.

 By using these few survived vines as a base material on which reviving the fame of Falerno, it was conducted a patient work on reproduction done by experts that allowed to save and propagating those few and precious survived vines and that were saved from the devastations of phylloxera. The vines from which the needed material for the reproduction was to be used, were scrupulously selected and grafted in sprouts resistant to phylloxera and then, little by little, they were successful in replanting the vineyards in the hills of Ager Falernus that produced for many centuries not particularly abundant harvest but of the best quality. The original plants are still kept at Villa Matilde winery and every time it is needed to plant new sprouts, the vines used for the propagation are directly taken from that old vineyard. Thus, after more than a century of absence, the first bottles of Falerno got again their way to the tables of connoisseurs.

 The current production of Villa Matilde, besides including the “Falerno del Massico” wines, also offers other wines, both white and red, produced with local grapes. Falerno del Massico is produced as white and red by using the ancient grape composition, faithful to the historical tradition of these wines. The white is exclusively produced with Falanghina, whereas the red, of which is also produced in the best years only a reserve as well, is obtained by Aglianico and Piedirosso grapes. With the very same grapes are also produced three “mono varietal” wines.

A vineyard of Villa Matilde

 Concerning the production of white wines, there is “Tenuta Pietre Bianche”, a young and crisp wine mainly produced with Falanghina and Coda di Volpe. The “Falerno del Massico Vigna Caracci” is a white wine produced with Falanghina grape harvested in a tiny vineyard of about three hectares (about 7.5 acres) and located in the hills near the volcano of Roccamonfina. The grape is harvested when it is fully ripe in order to exalt the aromatic characteristics and the wine ages in barrique for about five months. Another white wine produced by Villa Matilde is “Campostellato”, a particular reserve of Falanghina produced with selected grapes from which is obtained a particularly concentrated must, rich in aromas and acidity, that will be transformed in a full bodied wine.

 Talking about the production of red wines there is “Terre Cerase”, obtained by Aglianico grape, and “Poggio alle More”, produced with Aglianico and Red Coda di Volpe as well as other local grapes. Result of many years of selections is “Vigna Camarato”, a wine produced with Aglianico grape harvested in the vineyard having the same name, one of the oldest and best exposed vineyards in the estate's hills, located at the base of the volcano of Roccamonfina. The wine is aged in cask as well as in bottle for 18 months. Another interesting red is “Cecubo”, produced with Piedirosso, Abbuoto and Primitivo grapes, aged in cask. With dried Falanghina grapes, left on the plant until November, is produced “Eleusi”, an excellent late vintage. After the grapes have been harvested they are allowed to dry in mates under the sun and the must which is obtained is subsequently fermented and aged in barrique for three months followed by a long aging in bottle. The production of Villa Matilde is completed by two grappas, both produced with Falanghina pomace, and olive oil produced with olives harvested in the winery's estates.

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