NYC Sommelier Jordan Salcito Making A Splash With Campania Wines

Italy produces some of the most exceptional wines of the world, where wine is grown throughout all its regions. Some of the most unique wines of Italy come from Campania.  Campania, known for its coastal beauty, culinary delights, and the glitz of the Amalfi coast, has been making wines for centuries.  The wines from Campania are extremely special and distinctive and can stand up to some of the most prominent wines of the world.

Known for its volcanic soils, it produces red and white wines that are elegantly expressive and bursting with minerality.  When thinking of Campania and southern Italy, generally wines don’t come to mind, as the region can be quite hot, but further inland wine is grown on the higher elevations of the mountainous slopes of Campania.  The elevation and the volcanic soils attracted NYC sommelier Jordan Salcito to produce an elegant, crisp, and effervescent Falanghina from Campania.

Jordan Salcito

Jordan Salcito is a wine professional with an incredibly successful career in the NYC hospitality industry.  Jordan has worked with some of Manhattan’s most iconic restaurants, as sommelier and manager at Eleven Madison Park, a prep cook at Daniels, and then went on to curate the beverage program for Momofuku family of restaurants.

An enthusiastic wine lover, Jordan has worked harvest with some of the most legendary winemakers of Burgundy –  Roulot, Dujac, Comtes Lafon, and Liger-Belair.  A highly successful entrepreneur, and the ultimate boss lady, Jordan is a Master Sommelier Candidate, and Wine Enthusiast “40 Under 40.

Jordan is also the founder of Ramona, an organic Italian grapefruit wine spritz, and Bellus Wines.  Bellus is a socially and environmentally conscious wine company that makes organically-grown, terroir-driven wines in collaboration with partner wineries around the globe. Jordan produces a gorgeous Falanghina from Campania under the Bellus label, which is attention-grabbing and delicious.

I had the opportunity to get Jordan’s insight as to why Falanghina, and she said, “For me, Falanghina is a grape I’ve long loved, especially the Beneventano clone grown at high elevation.” It was not only the draw of winemaking in Campania that inspired Jordan to produce this wine, on a more personal level she has family roots here, her grandfather is from the region.   

Bellus Caldera 2018 

Bellus Caldera is made from Falanghina grapes grown without chemicals or pesticides in the hills of Campania. Mount Vesuvius’ caldera is responsible for much of Campania’s geological identity,  The volcanos violent explosions have released more than 100,000 times the thermal energy of an atomic bomb and have buried the region under layers of lava and ash throughout the past millennia. The explosions have created Campania’s geological identity.  Jordan explains, “Campania has an extraordinary viticultural history, largely formed by the violent eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. I felt that our Caldera had an opportunity to shine a light on an often-overlooked grape while also paying homage to an extraordinary yet humble region and the powerful volcano that has shaped its story”

Claudia Wu of Cherry Bomb magazine has reimagined the smoke and ash of Vesuvius on the Bellus Caldera label. Today those layers have become tuff, volcanic soil that forms the core of Campania hills on which these Falanghina grapes were grown. A portion of the proceeds from Caldera is donated to Earthjustice, an organization that works to battle climate change.

Bellus Caldera is an aromatic, mineral-driven wine.  It is bright, floral, and effervescent.  Mouthwatering acidity and complexity await in this bottle, with notes of apricots, lemons, apples, and almonds.  The acidity and brightness of the wine complement seafood flavors like scallops, clams, and grilled shrimp.  The perfect wine for summer sipping.

 

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Read more about Campania wines from my fellow wine writer:

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Melanzane a Scarpone + Cantine Astroni Gragnano Penisola Sorrentina 2018”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm posts “Polpette and Terredora di Paolo Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso”
• David at Cooking Chat discusses “Salmon with Pesto and Orzo with Wine from Campania“
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings adds “Campania’s Donnachiara Greco di Tufo Paired with Fish and Chips #ItalianFWT”
• Here at Wine Predator we share “3 Wines from Campania’s Feudi Di San Gregorio paired with pizza and wild boar ragu #ItalianFWT”
• Cindy at Grape Experiences writes “Exclusive to Campania: Coda di Volpe Bianco, the Tail of the Fox”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass posts “A Coda di Volpe wine from Campania’s protector of native grapes (#ItalianFWT)”
• Jen at Vino Travels joins with “The Lycrima Christi wines of Vesuvio”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Chicken Pot Pie and A Beautiful Wine from Campania for a Spring Day”
• Katarina at Grapevine Adventures muses “Campania Makes You Dream Big About Amazing Wine”
• Nicole at Somm’s Table dishes on “Donnachiara Taurasi and Lamb Spezzatino”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! writes about “Vini Alois: Champions of Campania’s Native Grapes”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish adds “Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo: White Wine from Campania’s Volcanic Arch”
• Host Susannah at  Avvinare is “Taking Another Look At Falanghina from Campania.”