A Family Story
The Roots of Our Future
Wine is patience, waiting, and memory. The Varchetta family has preserved this memory for over a century through a deep connection with the territory of the Campi Flegrei.
The story begins in 1891, when Vincenzo Varchetta established the family wine trade. A profession that enabled the family to gain an intimate knowledge of the wines, vineyards, and winemaking culture of the Campi Flegrei.
In the post-war years, the journey continued with Giovanni Varchetta, who, together with his wife Luisa and their ten children, carried the family business forward, passing on to future generations a respect for the land, a deep knowledge of the territory, and a passion for wine.
At the beginning of the 1990s, a decisive turning point came when an old family farmhouse on the slopes of the Astroni Crater was transformed into a winery.
From that moment on, the vineyard became the heart of the project.
The experience gained through the wine trade gave way to a new path, rooted in the direct cultivation of the vineyards and the desire to tell the story of the Campi Flegrei through its native grape varieties.
From this journey, Cantine Astroni was founded in 1999: the expression of a family history spanning more than a century and deeply rooted in this land.
Today, the winery is led by the third and fourth generations of the Varchetta family, who continue this journey shaped by memory, territory, and identity.
The Winery
Beyond the City, Within the Volcano
Founded on the outer slopes of the Astroni Crater, between Naples and Pozzuoli, Cantine Astroni lies in the heart of the Campi Flegrei, in a natural setting of extraordinary beauty and intensity.
Once a Bourbon hunting reserve and now a protected WWF Nature Reserve, the Astroni Crater is a precious sanctuary of biodiversity and a unique wine-growing environment.
Here, where the sea meets volcanic land, the winery preserves a winemaking heritage deeply rooted in its territory.
In both the vineyard and the cellar, every decision is guided by respect for nature’s rhythms and by a deep understanding of the place. Experience gained over time is combined with a thoughtful and conscious approach to winemaking, where modern techniques and knowledge support the expression of the grapes without altering their identity or character.
Particular attention is devoted to the native pre-phylloxera grape varieties grown on their own roots—Falanghina and Piedirosso of the Campi Flegrei—authentic expressions of an extraordinary volcanic soil.
Cantine Astroni is also a place of encounter, storytelling, and shared experiences. Visits, tastings, and events invite guests to discover wine through the landscape, culture, and history of the Campi Flegrei, keeping alive the bond between people, community, and territory.
The Work in the Cellar
The cellar is the natural continuation of the work carried out in the vineyard. From harvest to vinification, every decision is guided by the desire to preserve the identity of the grapes and enhance the character of the vineyard from which they originate.
Stainless steel is the primary tool of the winemaking process, preserving with precision the freshness, balance, and aromatic purity that define the wines of the Campi Flegrei.
Every stage is carefully managed. Extraction, maceration, and ageing are tailored to the quality of the fruit and the character of each vintage. Alongside stainless steel, a small part of the production is vinified or aged in clay amphorae and neutral barriques, used with restraint to explore additional nuances without altering the original character of the grapes.
Bottle ageing plays a fundamental role. It is here that the wine evolves slowly, gaining balance, depth, and greater expressive complexity.
Over time, the hallmark salinity and minerality of the Campi Flegrei emerge with increasing clarity, revealing in every glass the imprint of its volcanic soils and the identity of its place of origin.
A patient process, designed to accompany each wine until it reaches its most authentic expression.
The Mission
Cantine Astroni’s mission is to enhance native grape varieties and preserve the viticultural heritage of the Campi Flegrei, safeguarding the biodiversity and agricultural identity of the Neapolitan territory.
In a densely populated landscape, the vineyards of the Campi Flegrei often appear as small vineyard gardens: precious agricultural enclaves that preserve the enduring bond between community, land, and vine cultivation.
Over the years, the estate has undertaken a programme of vineyard renewal and conservation, establishing new vineyards alongside historic ones. This work is rooted in the study of volcanic soils and detailed vineyard zoning, with the aim of understanding and enhancing the distinctive expression of each individual parcel.
The vineyard is the heart of this project. Every plot is observed and interpreted in its uniqueness, respecting the natural balance of the soil, climate, and landscape.
At the heart of this commitment are Falanghina and Piedirosso, the emblematic grape varieties of the Campi Flegrei, deeply connected to volcanic soils and capable of expressing in the wine the true character of the place where they are grown.
Cantine Astroni continues to pursue the qualitative growth of Neapolitan viticulture, with the ambition of telling the story of the Campi Flegrei through wines that are ever more balanced, refined, and distinctive.
