Campanian wines to drink with fish: from Falanghina to Piedirosso

With fish, Campania mostly drinks white: Falanghina for fried dishes, mussels and starters, Fiano di Avellino for raw fish and spaghetti with clams, Greco di Tufo for octopus and pasta rich with shellfish. Then there are Falanghina sparkling wines for the aperitivo, Aglianico rosés for crustaceans and seafood stews, and a light Piedirosso red when the fish is grilled or cooked with tomato.

Here are the grapes one by one, with the bottles on our wine list and the dishes on our menu they suit best.

Falanghina: the white for fried food, mussels and seafood starters

Falanghina is grown in many parts of Campania, from the Campi Flegrei to the Sannio and Irpinia, both near the sea and inland. It is fresh and lively, which is exactly why it cleans the palate after anything fried.

• Grande Farnia, Montespina Iovino (Campi Flegrei DOP). It comes from a family estate in Pozzuoli overlooking the Solfatara, where Falanghina grows on volcanic sand and ash. A Pozzuoli wine for our fried anchovies from Pozzuoli, and also for the seaweed zeppole and the impepata di cozze.
• Falanghina del Sannio, Feudi di San Gregorio: from the hills of the province of Benevento, fresh and taut, with the seafood antipasto, pasta with clams and the mixed grilled fish.
• Tacito, Falerno del Massico Bianco, Nugnes: a citrusy Falanghina from the Caserta area, a natural partner for buffalo mozzarella and fried prawns and squid.

Fiano di Avellino: the wine for raw fish and spaghetti with clams

Fiano di Avellino is one of the three DOCG wines of the province of Avellino, alongside Greco di Tufo and Taurasi. It has more body than Falanghina and a savouriness that is superb with raw fish.

• Fiano di Avellino, Colli di Lapio – Romano Clelia: made in stainless steel only, savoury and fragrant, with tuna tartare, raw prawns and oysters.
• Fiano di Avellino, Paterno: structure and freshness for raw fish and spaghetti with clams.
• Kratos, Luigi Maffini (Cilento DOC): a seaside Fiano from organic vineyards at Castellabate, taut and saline. With pasta with clams, grilled squid and the trio of marinated fish.

Greco di Tufo: for octopus and rich seafood pasta

Greco di Tufo is named after the village of Tufo in Irpinia, where sulphurous, chalky soils give the Greco grape savouriness and backbone. It is the Campanian white to choose when a dish has real flavour and texture.

• Greco di Tufo Vigna Cicogna, Benito Ferrara: intense, with marked acidity and a briny streak. With grilled octopus, the seafood sauté and scialatielli with seafood.

Biancolella and Costa d'Amalfi: whites from the islands and the coast

Biancolella is the emblematic white grape of Ischia, grown on the volcanic slopes of Mount Epomeo; Ischia was awarded its DOC in 1966, the second in Italy. The whites of the island and of the Amalfi Coast are born, quite literally, by the sea, and you can taste it.

• Ischia Biancolella, Casa D'Ambra: dry, with an almondy finish; with octopus, fried seafood and mozzarella.
• Vigna del Lume, Cantine Antonio Mazzella: Biancolella from a vineyard a few metres from the sea on the island's east coast, with a saline finish. With clams, anchovies and the catch of the day.
• Costa d'Amalfi Bianco, Marisa Cuomo: Falanghina and Biancolella from the terraced vineyards of Cetara and Raito. Fresh and aromatic, with octopus, the seafood sauté and fried anchovies.

Campanian sparkling wines: for the aperitivo and fried food

Bubbles and fried food are a classic pairing: the fizz and freshness cut through the richness. The list has two Falanghina sparkling wines:

• Astro Falanghina Spumante Extra Dry, Astroni (Campi Flegrei DOP): a Phlegraean fizz for seaweed zeppole, fried anchovies and buffalo mozzarella.
• Falanghina Brut, Feudi di San Gregorio: dry and easy-drinking, for the aperitivo and seafood starters, and excellent with fried prawns and squid.

Campanian rosés: for crustaceans and seafood stews

The Campanian rosés on our list are made from Aglianico, in one case blended with Piedirosso. They have more body than a white and stand up to tomato-based dishes and crustaceans.

• Vetere, San Salvatore 1988 (Paestum IGP): pure Aglianico, fresh and soft; with tartare, seafood starters and buffalo mozzarella.
• Rodeon Rosato, Nugnes: dry and lively, with molluscs, crustaceans and scialatielli with seafood.
• Costa d'Amalfi Rosato, Marisa Cuomo: Piedirosso and Aglianico, a rosé with structure for seafood pasta and grilled fish.

When a light red does work with fish: Piedirosso

Red wine with fish is no mistake, provided it is the right red. Piedirosso, which Ischia's islanders call «Per' 'e Palummo», dove's foot, after the red colour of its stalks, appears on our list in two light, fresh reds that do not overwhelm the sea. They go well with grilled fish and with tomato-based dishes.

• Per' 'e Palummo, Casa D'Ambra (Ischia DOC): with grilled octopus and salt cod Sicilian style.
• Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso, Mastroberardino: Piedirosso from the ashy soils of Vesuvius, which the winery itself suggests with grilled fish and pulses. Here, with the mixed grilled fish and pasta and beans with seafood.

The bigger Aglianico wines, such as Taurasi, we pair instead with meat dishes: genovese, whose origins we have written about, meatballs in ragù and sliced steak.

Pairings at a glance, dish by dish

• Fried anchovies and zeppole: Falanghina from the Campi Flegrei or a Falanghina sparkling wine.
• Impepata di cozze: Falanghina.
• Raw fish and tartare: Fiano di Avellino.
• Spaghetti with clams: Fiano, or a Biancolella.
• Octopus and scialatielli with seafood: Greco di Tufo.
• Fried prawns and squid: sparkling wine or a rosé.
• Grilled octopus and salt cod: a light Piedirosso red.

The wine list at Trattoria del Golfo

Our list is curated by Antimo, the chef: wines from Campania and the rest of Italy to go with seafood. On the wine list every bottle comes with its grapes, the story of the winery and pairings with our dishes; to decide what to eat, there is our guide to traditional Neapolitan seafood dishes. We are at Via Santa Brigida 56, on the corner of Via Verdi, 80133 Naples: to book, see our Contact page.