Fiano is a southern Italian grape with a long memory, grown for centuries in Campania and Irpinia before it found its way further south and east. L'Archetipo farms it in Salento, at the heel of Puglia, where the Adriatic and the Ionian sit on either side of a flat, sunlit peninsula. The 2020 vintage is dry, medium-bodied and built on high acidity.
- Fiano, a white grape of southern Italy.
- IGP Salento, Puglia, the far south-east.
- 2020 vintage, 12.5% alcohol.
- Dry, medium body, low tannin, high acid.
- White peach, citrus zest, almond, herbs, saline.
How it tastes
White peach and citrus zest come first, then a herbal note and a bitter almond edge that is typical of the grape. The acidity is high and stays high, so the wine keeps its shape rather than going soft. What lingers is saline, a salt-and-stone finish that reads as the coast.
Where it comes from
Salento is the flat, hot southern end of Puglia, a peninsula between two seas. Fiano is not native here; it is a Campanian grape, and Puglia's heat could easily flatten it. The IGP covers a wide area of the province, and grapes grown near the coast tend to hold more freshness than those from further inland.
Good to know
Fiano was nearly abandoned in the twentieth century, pulled out of vineyards in favour of higher-yielding varieties, and only came back once growers in Irpinia proved what old vines of it could do. It ripens late and thick-skinned, which is why it keeps acidity in warm places. L'Archetipo is a certified biodynamic estate.
