Majestic centenary vines, some reaching up to three meters in height, climb and intertwine, producing strong and lush grapes capable of resisting the most feared pest for winemakers.
Ungrafted vines create evocative images that punctuate the Italian viticultural landscape here and there. In the latter half of the 19th century, the rapid spread of phylloxera—a pest originating from North America, now present in all wine-growing countries—caused the death of nearly 80% of European vine varieties it attacked. To save viticulture from extinction, European vines began to be grafted onto American rootstocks, which were resistant to phylloxera at the root level.
While phylloxera found fertile ground in Italy, certain natural impediments in specific conditions made its mission difficult. The pest was weakened by the altitude of vineyards, particularly those over 1,000 meters above sea level, where extreme temperature fluctuations made it hard for the insect to survive. Another factor often protecting vines from phylloxera was sandy, clay, or volcanic soils, which prevented the pest from moving easily. Lastly, prolonged waterlogging, as phylloxera cannot survive in water, also contributed to its demise. Thus, certain Italian regions, where one of these three conditions prevailed, have preserved ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines, known as “piede franco,” where “piede” refers to the vine’s roots and “franco” means free from constraints, indicating a non-hybrid vine with its own natural roots.
Examples of ungrafted vines can still be found today in the Aosta Valley or on Mount Etna, where the altitudes are significant, as well as in Sardinia, Sicily, and Campania, where sandy and volcanic soils prevail.
In Campania, in the Irpinia area, ungrafted vines still thrive, telling a long-standing winemaking story. “Our region has a historic presence of vines and was only partially affected by phylloxera for two reasons,” explains Antonio Capaldo, president of Feudi di San Gregorio, a winery founded in 1986 in Sorbo Serpico, in the province of Avellino, with 300 hectares of vineyards and an additional 200 from suppliers. “The first is the volcanic, sandy soils that made it difficult for the pest to move. The second is that the land was always very fragmented, with alternating crops that, in some way, blocked the parasite.”
When Feudi di San Gregorio embarked on its winemaking adventure, several local farmers had ungrafted vines that were over two centuries old. “The farmers’ stories initially left our agronomists skeptical,” Capaldo continues, “but after conducting research with the De Sanctis enology school, the first viticulture and enology institute in Italy, we discovered that many of those vineyards had been cultivated since the late 1800s.”
With this natural treasure in hand, which Feudi di San Gregorio calls “I Patriarchi” (The Patriarchs), the winery began studying and working with these vines, focusing on the “Dal Re” vineyard with 400 ungrafted Aglianico vines in Taurasi, some reaching three meters tall, which are harvested using ladders to reach the highest clusters. From these vines, the limited-edition wine “Serpico” is produced. “That vineyard, like others, was maintained by small farmers solely for grape cultivation. They grew the vines tall to leave room on the ground for other crops like potatoes or tomatoes. Over time, these vines have evolved. Each plant is unique. We’ve identified more than 100 different biotypes.”
From 1999 to 2010, Feudi di San Gregorio, in collaboration with Professor Attilio Scienza from the University of Milan and Professor Luigi Moio from the University of Naples, began a study, planting the biotypes discovered in the “Dal Re” vineyard in micro-vineyards. “We analyzed the most interesting ones and selected about 20 that we planted elsewhere. Today, we work exclusively with ungrafted clones, without rootstocks. We’re discovering that, compared to American-grafted vines, they respond very differently, even when facing excessive drought or water stress. We’re still studying this reaction.”
Working with “old” vineyards, which have survived phylloxera and are thus over a century old, is a true mission for the Irpinian winery, in the name of preserving the region itself. “If new vines are planted every 15-20 years, as often happens, the soil becomes impoverished because, in the early years, the vine extracts a lot and gives back very little,” Capaldo continues. “Working with old vines is not just a matter of being ‘clean and correct’; it’s about maintaining biodiversity and preserving the cultivation methods of historic clones. When you engage in this type of viticulture, you have to accept that the vine has an awareness of itself; it self-regulates and doesn’t undergo unnecessary stress. In some years, it may not produce anything. But we expect a great wine from this vineyard.”
Moreover, there’s the aspect of valuing a historical heritage, which represents the future of viticulture itself. “Pergola training systems, like those in the ‘Dal Re’ vineyard, are becoming increasingly valuable with global warming, as they protect the grapes,” says the president. “More and more often, we are converting Guyot-trained vines into higher forms to shield the plants from humidity and sunlight. In Irpinia, we are fortunate to have a heritage of farmers who have preserved these centenary vines and continue to teach us how to care for them.