Campania
Centered on the city of Naples, on the southwestern coast of Italy, Campania’s fame extends as much to the luxury of the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia as it does to the history and archeology of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Its interior includes fertile plains for wheat, fruit, olives and vegetables—ingredients for the production of another of Campania’s claims to fame: Naples is the birthplace of pizza.
Impepata di Cozze
Mussels with Black Pepper
Though you will sometimes see this dish made with white wine or olive oil, in its traditional form it is just mussels steamed in their own liquid then tossed with a healthy amount of black pepper and Italian parsley, and sometimes lemon.
Making Impepata di Cozze
Grill a few pieces of bread, for sopping. This is a case where you want your toast well-done. Scrub and debeard the mussels under running water, put them in a pot, cover them and turn the heat to high. Every minute or so, gently shake the pot like for popcorn. Start checking them after 3 minutes. They are done when they open. (Discard any that stay shut.) Grind about a tablespoon of black pepper over them and add a small handful of chopped flatleaf parsley; toss and serve, including the crucial liquid. Lemon is optional. Toast is not.
Paired with: Fiano di Avellino
Varietal: Fiano
Fiano is grown throughout Campania and Southern Italy, but it thrives in the heart of Irpinia, east of Naples. The area’s volcanic soils and generally mild climate with a beneficial diurnal temperature range support good expression and balance from this late-ripening variety.
Why It Works
Although Fiano can be produced in a range of styles, fresh, mineral-driven versions are common; here, the wine’s lively acidity reflects the food’s bright spot of lemon, while a salty streak of minerality matches the brine of the mussels.
Recommended Fiano
I Pentri Beneventano L’Amore delle Api 2022 (92, $38)
Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino 2023 (90, $28)
La Capranera Fiano Campania 2022 (87, $18)
Molise
One of Italy’s smallest regions is also its youngest, with Molise separating from Abruzzo in the early 1960s. But even in this compact region there’s great diversity to its unspoiled natural beauty. Sandy beaches facing the Adriatic Sea give way to low-lying, undulating hills. On Molise’s western edge the Monte Matese regional park straddles the border with Campania, boasting mountain valleys and lakes, as well as Monte Miletto, the highest peak of the southern Apennines.
Pampanella Molisana
Spiced Roast Pork
Think Italian barbecue. Mixed cuts of pork on the bone are scored and treated all over with a bracing rub of garlic and sweet and hot pepper. The whole marinates, then is roasted low and slow. As with barbecue, everyone has their secret recipe and their preferred cuts.
Paired with: Tintilia del Molise
Varietal: Tintilia
Tintilia is Molise’s signature variety, a deeply hued red grape that yields highly aromatic wines, with ripe blackberry and cherry fruit laced with brambly herb, spice and mineral notes. Most versions are medium-bodied, integrating juicy acidity and chewy tannins.
Why It Works
Tintilia’s structural components—the tannins and the acidity—help to cut through the fattiness of the slow-cooked pork, while its aromatic notes find a pairing with the complexity of the pork’s spice-driven marinade.
Recommended Tintilia
Catabbo Tintilia del Molise Riserva 2019 (92, $39)
Claudio Cipressi Tintilia del Molise Settevigne 2018 (91, $38)
Cianfagna Tintilia del Molise Sator 2019 (89, $45)
Calabria
As the toe of the Italian boot, the region of Calabria is a peninsula with about 500 miles of coastline. It’s famous for the Costa dei Gelsomini, or Jasmine Coast, with stretches of flat beaches punctuated by high, rocky bluffs. Abundant, fragrant jasmine plants along the coast give way to sun-soaked olive and citrus groves in the interior, while Calabria’s crystal clear waters yield the bounty of the sea.
Alici Scattiate
Splashed Anchovies
Since this is usually a fairly casual seaside first course and it cooks quickly, be sure everyone has wine before you start cooking. The dish takes advantage of fresh anchovies’ small size and assertive flavor and adds a little heat. The splashing comes from what happens in the pan when vinegar is added at the end for an acidic bite.
Making Alici Scattiate
Pat dry a pound of cleaned, filleted anchovies. Coat a pan with oil and add a garlic clove. When it starts to color, add the fillets and a bay leaf, turning gently as they brown, then sprinkle with chopped oregano and chile powder. Turn up the heat and pour over a couple tablespoons of vinegar. Let cook for a minute or two, then serve.
Paired with: Cirò Classico
Varietal: Gaglioppo
Although Gaglioppo is grown to a limited extent in regions across central and southern Italy, it is the star variety for red production in Calabria. Cirò is the region’s top DOC for the grape, producing crushed berry– and cherry-flavored versions with a bit more weight and tannic structure than examples sourcing grapes from other parts of the region.
Why It Works
Calabria’s extensive coastline results in a regional cuisine with abundant seafood. The boldly flavored anchovies find their match in the robust character offered by a good glass of Gaglioppo, often served lightly chilled.
Recommended Gaglioppo
Vincenzo Ippolito Cirò Classico Superiore Ripe del Falco Riserva 2017 (91, $62)
Librandi Calabria Gravello Tenuta Arcidiaconato 2022 (90, $33)
Librandi Cirò Classico Segno Librandi 2022 (88, $15)
Basilicata
Wedged between the Campania and Puglia regions at the instep of the Italian boot, Basilicata is largely a landscape of rocky hills and mountains fleshed out with alpine forests and medieval towns. But it also offers small coastline sections facing both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas, as well as a millennia-old hillside complex of cave dwellings and art in the Sassi area of the ancient city of Matera.
The stunning Basilicata town of Matera gets a star turn in the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die, beginning with the opening car chase through tight, vertiginous streets.—Owen Dugan
Strascinati con Mollica e Peperoni Cruschi
Local Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Dried Peppers
In high summer, the houses of towns in rocky Basilicata are festooned with great necklaces of the deep-red local chile peppers drying in the sun. These peppers are central to the cuisine at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are usually chopped or ground into flakes and then can be a condiment (especially soaked in oil) or a bold flavor backbone, as in this pasta dish.
Dried Peppers | The Mirogallo farm has been in the same family since the 1800s, and they still use only natural preservation. Cruschi dried peppers (caputos.com; 1 ounce for $13).
Paired with: Aglianico del Vulture
Varietal: Aglianico
Across southern Italy, Aglianico yields many bottlings of quality red wine. From Basilicata and on the volcanic slopes of Mount Vulture this late-ripening variety pairs a frame of chewy tannins and high natural acidity with mountain herb, dark cherry and mineral aromas and flavors.
Why It Works
Aglianico del Vulture’s structure recommends it to food pairing; its bright, palate-cleansing acidity readies you for the next bite while the hearty fare works to soften the impact of the wine’s robust tannins.
Recommended Aglianico
Grifalco della Lucania Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Damaschito 2021 (94, $43)
d’Angelo Aglianico del Vulture 2022 (90, $20)
Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture 2021 (88, $16)
Puglia
Puglia, the high heel of Italy’s boot, is known as the country’s breadbasket for its wheat and olive oil production. But its roughly 500 miles of rocky cliffs and white sand beaches put an emphasis on the riches of the sea, while inland Puglia offers the baroque splendor of the city of Lecce, the distinctive, conical roofs of the region’s trulli buildings, the brilliance of the whitewashed walls of the city of Ostuni’s historic center and more.
Braciole Pugliesi
Stuffed Veal Rolls in a Tomato Sauce
Braciole are incredibly versatile, as they are just rolled, stuffed cutlets of veal or beef simmered in tomato sauce. This version bridges the northern fondness for beef with the southern emphasis on tomato. The traditional stuffing is garlic, parsley and pecorino, but possibilities abound.
How to Make Braciole Pugliesi
Lay out 8 pounded slices of veal and top each with a mix of cheese and chopped parsley and garlic. Roll them up and seal the seam with a toothpick. Brown the roulades over medium-high heat (do not overcook), then remove them. Deglaze the pan with wine, add a can of tomato puree or dice and bring it to just under a boil. Add the meat, adjust the heat to a steady simmer and check after about 20 minutes.
Paired with: Primitivo di Manduria
Varietal: Primitivo
Genetic testing has proven that Puglia’s Primitivo is one and the same with America’s Zinfandel, but this southern Italian region puts its own spin on the variety. In general it’s a hardy grape that yields deeply hued purply-red wines, but it’s adaptable to differences both in terroir and winemaking, resulting in a range of styles. Across the variations, look for chewy tannins enmeshed in expressive berry and cherry fruit with a zesty thread of spices and herbs.
Why It Works
Primitivo’s tannic frame supports interplay with the dish’s robust character, as does its herb and spice seasoning with the braciole’s stuffing. And in the hands of deft winemakers, Primitivo brings bright acidity to clean the palate before your next forkful.
Recommended Primitivo
Gianfranco Fino Primitivo Salento Sé 2022 (92, $70)
Felline Primitivo di Manduria Giravolta 2019 (90, $22)
Tormaresca Primitivo Puglia Nèprica 2023 (89, $15)
Sicily
Because of Sicily’s strategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean, it is a layer cake infused by the cultures of invaders and settlers who have journeyed to the island through the ages. The influence of these ancient civilizations is felt even today, with reminders in the cuisine and dialect of Italy’s largest island as well as in the architecture seen throughout the rugged countryside and visually stunning coastlines.
Pesce Spada alla Siciliana
Swordfish with Olives, Tomatoes and Capers
This hyperlocal icon shows a kind of tensile balance of Mediterranean flavors. It sounds a bit over the top with sweet tomato, sharp capers and briny olives, but in fact if you removed one it would not be as satisfying.
Capers | Do yourself a favor and get some great capers so that you can have a “wow it’s like I never had a caper before” moment. The best are hand-harvested, dried in the sun and packed in sea salt to ferment and age. Rinse or soak them before serving to remove some of the salt. The Caravaglio brand from the island of Salina is exemplary (olio2go.com; $10 for 3.17 ounces).
For crispy, tiny flavor bombs, fry well-dried capers in olive oil until they brown and open, then drain them and spread on a towel to dry. Save that oil, too.—O.D.
Paired with: Sicilia
Varietal: Nero d’Avola
Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s signature variety, produced in locations all over the island. As a result, there’s a lot of stylistic variation among these wines, but most fall in the medium- to full-bodied range, with lively acidity. The through line includes hearty tannins, brambly, herb-laced berry and cherry fruit and a pleasing underpinning of loamy earth or mineral. Most bottlings stateside are from the Sicilia DOC and Terre Siciliane IGT appellations, but also look for distinctive bottlings such as Planeta’s Mamertino DOC from the northeastern corner of the island.
Why It Works
Although a red wine isn’t always an obvious pairing for a white-fleshed fish, in Sicily Nero d’Avola it is regularly partnered with seafood. In this case, the richness of the swordfish dish is well-matched by a chewy Nero d’Avola; the wine’s acidity cuts nicely through the fish’s oiliness, and the tomato, caper and olive notes are reflected in the wine.
Recommended Nero d’Avola
Feudo Montoni Sicilia Vrucara 2020 (92, $62)
Planeta Mamertino 2019 (91, $40)
Morgante Nero d’Avola Sicilia 2022 (89, $20)
