Cortecorbo Wines: Wine Tasting Day Tours from Naples

Coming up: cooking experiences, local villages, family stories, rural farm life, ancient grapes, one of the most passionate wine lovers you’ve ever met, and a world-class from-Naples wine tour.

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Most people have heard of Italy’s famous wine region of Tuscany. 

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…and Piedmont. 

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… and Sicily.

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But not many people have heard of the flavor-packed region of Irpinia.

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(well, apart from in-the-know wine-loving locals).

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But our friend Antonio Fondaco reckons it’ll soon be as famous as its well-known neighbors:

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Meet Antonio and his mom

Back in 1970, rural Italian farmer Soccorso Romano planted some grapes on his land. He loved wine, and he’d decided to begin making his own.

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For the next (almost) 20 years, he kept making, learning about, and drinking wine. 

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Then, in 1998, when he was a little too old to manage the now-large vineyard, he handed the wines and vines over to his daughter, Antonia.

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By this time, there were WAY more grapes than before: and far too much wine to drink.

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Soccorso loved his wine and his vineyard, and the life and home he’d built there. And he didn't want his daughter to sell the place.

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… and she didn’t want all the wine to be wasted. 

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So, Antonia began packaging the wine and selling it on: to make a legacy from the flavors her father had made.

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And now, the legacy continues even further: Antonia works with her son Antonio Fondaco…

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… and, together, they’ve crafted local-led wine tasting experiences on the same land Soccorso began building over 50 years ago.

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These wine tasting experiences happen in the same home where Soccorso and his wife once lived—and where Antonio himself now lives*. 

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And now, Antonia and Antonio are working with Upiria to bring even more guests to the vineyard.

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What happens on the Cortecorbo wine tasting tours?

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(Spoiler alert: these immersive adventures are WAY more than just wine tasting experiences and wine tasting tours—and they’re probably unlike anything you’ve ever done)

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The wine tasting tours happen just outside the little hilltop town of Montemarano (a super-scenic place you’ll fall in love with—don’t be surprised if you want to stay forever).

Each experience comes in three parts: 

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Part 1 (the history section): you learn about the wines, the grapes, the flavors, the nature and climate of the area, aging and barrels, and the story of Soccorso’s family. You’ll wander through the vineyard, and see some of the age-old equipment the family still uses.

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Part 2 (the cooking class): you make pizza or pasta, and some tiramisu. Everything is made from local artisanal ingredients, and you do stuff the old-school way. You cook, chat, and drink in the old Romano family home. One of the most homely cooking experiences you've ever had, guaranteed.

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Part 3 (the local lunch): you eat several snacks and dishes, made by Antonia. All are traditional classics, with a bunch of flavors you’ve probably never tried before. You’ll slurp on 6 different wines (don’t be surprised if you wind up a bit drunk)—each one is matched with carefully-chosen food pairings. Antonio is your sommelier, telling you the smells and tastes to look out for.

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What we love about the Cortecorbo wine tasting experiences: 

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• All food is 100% locally-sourced (both in the lunch and the cooking classes). Everything is fresh and seasonal, most flavors are regional specialities, and lots of the ingredients are bought from the family’s friends.

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• The entire experience is brought to you by the family: Antonia cooks and serves all the food (Antonio calls her the “soul of the winery”), while Antonio teaches you about tastes and traditions (and he knows more about wine than anyone we’ve ever met).

• It’s in a non-touristy place: you won’t find big industrial wineries here, and you won’t find herds of tourists. You’ll only find small villages, pretty views, and family vineyards.  No traffic, no pollution, no people—just healthy, tasty food and wine.

• Everything is retro and rural: the farm, the food and the wine is similar to how it would have been 50 years ago. You’ll see real local-life farming traditions—and nothing is fancy, formal, or elegant.

Overall, it’s one of our favorite things to do around Naples. And we can’t recommend it enough.

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What’s the atmosphere of the Cortecorbo wine tasting experiences?

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The experiences are fun and relaxing:

Yeah, you’ll learn about the family, the area, the food, the wine.

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… but the focus is on experiencing the laid-back realities of the region’s rural life.

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This isn’t just food and wine. It’s tradition, family, and local identity. 

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(In short, this is way more than just a from-Naples wine tour).

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What makes the region’s wine so special?

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Antonio will tell you so much more…

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… but…

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… Irpinia is southern Italy’s most important wine region (and one of the most important wine regions in all of Italy).

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It’s home to Taurasi wine, a complex drink uniquely flavored by the area’s weather, elevation, and soil (and the family makes their own super-special variety of the stuff).

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The area’s winemaking traditions are some of the oldest in the world. While most of Italy’s oldest wines come from the Roman period, Irpinian traditions are even older—dating back more than 2,000 years, to when the Greeks occupied this part of Italy.

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… but despite all the history and flavors, Irpinia isn’t yet as famous as it should be.

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But it probably won’t stay that way for much longer: so get here before everyone else does. 

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In which languages can I take these day tours from Naples? And how do I book?

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The experiences are offered in both English and Italian.

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And you can book the experiences right now—by clicking the button to your right.

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So, as we say in Italy: andiamo!

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