Cratere Bianco
LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO BIANCO DOP
This wonderful corner of the world has given rise to myths and legends.
“God recognized the gulf of Naples as a strip of sky removed by Lucifer. He wept and where his divine tears fell, Lacryma Christi vines arose”
Technical product sheet
Grape variety | Caprettone, Falanghina
Production area | Agro Vesuviano
Soil | predominately sandy
Training system | low arbour and cordon spur system
Yield | 70-80 quintals
Harvest period | October
Harvest | manual
Winemaking
Technical prefermentation | cryomaceration
Fermentation | 2 weeks in stainless steel
Fermentation temperature | 18° – 20° C
Refining | a few months on the lees in stainless steel and in bottle
Alcohol content | 12,5%
Organoleptic characteristics
Yellow in color with greenish notations. The nose is dominated by a hint of apricot and wild herbs, while mineral notes complete the aromatic bouquet.
It is structured, full and persistent in the mouth.
Historically widespread in the province of Naples, especially in the Vesuvius area, Caprettone is a white berried variety which probably owes its name to the particular shape of the bunch, which can recall the goat’s beard.
Despite its ancient origins, it has only recently been recognized as a vine with its own specific genetic and production profile.
It is an extremely vigorous vine, the bunch is quite tight, with medium-sized grapes, thick skin and mainly elliptical in shape.
It is usually harvested between the first and second ten days of September, when fully ripe it has rather low acidity values.
The Falanghina probably derives from ancient Greek-Balkan stocks and seems to owe its name to its expanded habit, for which it was traditionally tied to support poles called “falanga”, from which Falanghina, or “vine supported by poles”.
The vine has medium-sized bunches, long and compact, cylindrical in shape and winged on one side. The grains are medium in size, spherical in shape with medium concentrations of bloom on the thick skins with gray colors with yellow reflections.
It is quite vigorous, with average, constant yields and harvests starting from the third week of September.