2016 Scuotto “Oi Ni” Fiano Campania IGT

As a grape and wine appellation, Fiano is one of Italy’s great white wines. Long known for its aging potential, but rarely given the chance due to low market expectations and a general disinterest in southern Italian wines. Producers that do age the wine tend to do so just for themselves for self-edification and interest.

Tenuta Scuotto, on the other hand, does intentionally age this Fiano for the market. To find a 2016 though, was quite surprising! While it’s not the oldest Fiano I’ve tasted, it’s been 5 years since the last time I tried one. Luckily, no one else seems to have an interest in these wines so when the importer approached me, knowing I’m always on the hunt for weird stuff like this, I jumped at the opportunity.

This wine sees a decent time in oak, which is not common for Fiano, and goes through a process called malolactic fermentation, which is a common process for great white wines of the world. It’s a natural process by which an ambient bacteria will change the malic acid in the wine to lactic acid, providing texture and a different acid structure.  Because it is a natural process, just as is fermentation, if a producer does not want malo to happen, they will have to intentionally stop it with sulfur and low temperatures. The malo process actually creates a more stable wine and lends to its longevity.