Piedirosso

Piedirosso is an old variety, mostly planted in Campania in southern Italy. The name means red feet, coming from the red color of the stalk and the stem at harvest, like the claw of a pigeon.

It constitutes part of the blend for the wines for Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC and Falerno Rosso, providing the perfume and freshness. It is also the second most widely planted red variety in Campania, after Aglianico.

Vigorous and mid-ripening, it likes heat and volcanic soils, relatively resistant to powdery mildew but susceptible to downy mildew. The varietal wines tend to be soft, with fresh acidity and aromatic, showing red fruit such as plum and cherries, herbal and spicy notes.

Many of the wines are classified as IGT, and the best producers include Feudi di San Gregorio, Galardi, Cantine Grotte del Sole.

I have recently tasted a varietal of Piedirosso, from Terredora, of Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC, and the tasting note is as below:

Appearance

Bright and clear, the wine is of deep intensity ruby color, with fading garnet rims and legs.

Nose
Clean, with medium intensity of red fruit such as ripe cherries and raspberry, black fruit of plum, sweet spice of cloves, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes of coffee, floral notes of violet as well as maturity notes of tobacco. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin, ripe but a bit powdery in texture. It has medium alcohol and medium body, showing medium intensity flavors of red fruit such as cherries and raspberry, black fruit of plum, pungent spice of pepper, herbal notes of pepper leaf. The wine has a medium finish.   

Conclusion

Good quality red wine with a reasonably intense nose but showing plenty of complexity, the wine has a balanced structure but the tannin is a bit powdery and not particularly smooth, with the palate having fair concentration, as well as a good finish to accompany. Ready to drink now, the wine is not suitable for further ageing but can keep for another 1-2 years.