Falanghina (Fahl-lan-ghee-na) used to be known as one of those Italian white wine varieties that always tasted better when you drank it in situ, somewhere in the wild hills of Campania, than here at home.  The delicacy and finesse of the wine, so enticing while sitting in the square of some medieval town with a platter of fresh Mozzarella drizzled with green, spicy olive oil in front of you,  never seemed to taste the same on this side of the Atlantic.  But that was back in the days when Italian whites were farmed for quantity and indifferently made.  By the time any but the very best had made the trip, they had lost their freshness and any varietal character they’d once possessed.  For we Italian white wine lovers back in the day, capturing the true essence of that local terroir was as much a factor of the imagination of the drinker as what was really in bottle.  My, how drastically things have changed.  Southern Italian whites like these are finally having their moment in the sun, so to speak.  Feudi di San Gregorio, established by two local Irpinian farming families back in 1986, was one of the first estates to devote the time and energy to farm correctly for flavors and quality rather than just for quantity, converting to organic farming way before it ever became a ‘thing’ in Campania and installing in their spik-and-span, ultra-modern cellars temperature controlled stainless steel tanks instead of the more common old wooden or concrete vats so ubiquitous in the region. The results were immediately apparent, as Feudi quickly established benchmarks for their clean, fresh and complex Fiano, Greco and Falanghina whites, a reputation that continues even now as Americans have finally discovered how well these fun-to-drink, fresh, characterful whites go with all kinds of fare.  And they’re still remarkably well priced!  Witness the Feudi Falanghina del Sannio.   Here is a lovely southern white that really does capture the warm southern winds and essence of wild fennel and mint that grows in every rocky crevice of the Sannio hills.  Cool fermentation in stainless steel, a bit of lees exposure that adds a some palate weight and texture and bottling at only six or seven months has created a wine as fresh and vivid as can be, yet with enough shimmery oomph to satisfy even the Chardonnay lovers in your house.  Mouthwatering and aromatic, its ‘cut’ citrus, wild herb and floral flavors are such wonderful matches with dishes like burrata, citrus and olive oil, tuna carpaccio and any sort of herby salad. With a fresh grilled fish or some oysters, it’s perfect!  And it’s really not as delicate as I’ve made it sound……there is an awful lot of deliciousness here!  A case is not enough of this kind of wine!