Terre del Principe

Historical roots of the grapes

Pallagrello Bianco and Pallagrello Nero were cultivated in the Bourbon period under the names Piedimonte Bianco and Piedimonte Rosso. Ferdinand IV ordered the creation of the Vigna del Ventaglio between Monte San Silvestro and the Belvedere di San Leucio, near the Royal Palace of Caserta. A description dated 1826 presents it as a semicircular vineyard divided into ten fan-like sectors, each planted with a different grape from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Pallagrello Bianco and Pallagrello Nero were the only two varieties from Campania represented there.

Pallagrello, a delicate and relatively unproductive variety, was largely abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century after phylloxera, when growers turned to more productive and resistant vines. Casavecchia survived principally in small family vineyards. Its local origin story centres on an old vine found near ruins at Pontelatone, beside the ancient Via Latina between Capua and Alife. The vine had a trunk approximately 40 cm across, and new plants were propagated by rooting branches directly in the ground. The name Casavecchia, meaning “old house,” refers to the place where that vine was found. A possible connection with the Roman wine Trebulanum is presented as a hypothesis rather than an established identification.

Revival and vineyard development

Vigna Monticelli was planted in 1987. At the beginning of the 1990s, Peppe Mancini rediscovered Pallagrello and Casavecchia and began the work of recovering, studying and propagating them. The tiny Vigna di Zia Rosa at Prea di Castel di Sasso served as the “campo madre”: the first propagation material for the modern revival of both grapes was taken from its old vines.

Peppe’s decision grew from memories of his grandfather taking him through the family properties by cart and of local farmers speaking about Pallagrello and Casavecchia. He left the legal profession to become a winegrower. Manuela Piancastelli, a journalist at Il Mattino, also left her profession to join the project.

Foundation and first identity, 2003–2007

Peppe Mancini and Manuela Piancastelli founded Terre del Principe in 2003. The name reflects their relationship: Peppe was Manuela’s “principe azzurro,” or Prince Charming. Alfredo Profeta created the first logo, the first labels for the two white wines and the first brochures. The blue Bourbon lilies in the logo connected the visual identity with Pallagrello’s Bourbon history. Gabriele Marino’s artwork became the label for the first two vintages, 2003 and 2004, of Vigna Piancastelli.

Carlo Tafuri redesigned the labels in 2004, combining their previously separate sections and establishing yellow backgrounds for whites and black for reds. The 2005 Piancastelli carried an image by Giovanna Picciau. Piancastelli was not produced in 2006. A later redesign entrusted to Fiorenzo D’Avino introduced brown backgrounds and colour-coded central squares for the principal labels, while its compact 14 × 14 cm brochure took the form of a family album.

Expansion and consolidation, 2008–2019

Bosco Agnese was planted with Pallagrello Bianco in 2008, while Vigna del Sasso was planted with Casavecchia in the same year. Terre del Principe developed a range of seven principal labels—Fontanavigna, Le Sèrole, Roseto del Volturno, Castello delle Femmine, Ambruco, Centomoggia and Piancastelli—alongside limited quantities of Il Sasso di Riccardo and a grappa made from Pallagrello Nero pomace.

For the tenth anniversary in 2013, Bets Design of Rome stylised the logo and simplified the label graphics. Piancastelli maintained a separate artistic identity, with each vintage assigned to an artist or young designer. Its 2008 and 2009 labels, based on Sergio Fermariello’s “Warriors,” were distinguished by different backgrounds; the design was nominated for Bibenda’s Wine Label of the Year award.

The difficult 2018 season brought continuous September rain and serious damage to the red grapes. Only a small rosé production was harvested from the affected red varieties, and no 2018 Castello delle Femmine, Ambruco, Centomoggia or Piancastelli was made.

Organic agriculture was certified by Suolo e Salute. Beginning with the 2019 harvest, the wines could carry the organic-wine mark.

Closure

After twenty years devoted to recovering, studying and promoting Pallagrello and Casavecchia, Terre del Principe announced the end of its activity. The founders explained that the decision was not caused by health, financial or other difficulties, but by a sense that this phase of their lives had reached its natural conclusion. Remaining current releases were assigned to Vino & Design for sale in Italy until stocks were exhausted, while a small reserve of older vintages and magnums remained at the cellar.

Terre del Principe’s vineyards lay among the hills of Castel Campagnano and Castel di Sasso in the province of Caserta, between the Taburno and Matese massifs. The principal vineyard zone stood at approximately 250–350 m above sea level. The Volturno flows between the mountains and historically supplied water and fertility, while persistent air movement shaped vineyard conditions. At Vigna dei Mascioni, summer winds descending from the Matese cooled the fruit and promoted day–night temperature variation. Forests surrounding Monticelli, Bosco Agnese and Vigna del Sasso created further sheltered microclimates; at Vigna del Sasso, this setting reduced disease pressure.

The defining geological formation is the Arenarie di Caiazzo, of Miocene age and approximately 7–5 million years old. During its formation, the Matese chain was covered by a warm, shallow tropical sea. Fossils and rocks marked by marine molluscs occur in the vineyards. Sand is abundant—reaching as much as 80% in parts of Monticelli—and is mixed with clay and volcanic debris. Beds of grey tuff alternate with sparse marly and silty clay layers. Stones and ash residues reflect the proximity of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, about 20 km away by air, and Vesuvius, approximately 30 km away.

Monticelli soil tests, reports 3236 and 1421 from the Chemical Commodities Laboratory of the Naples Chamber of Commerce, recorded: antimony below 0.01 mg/kg; beryllium 0.02 mg/kg; cadmium below 0.01 mg/kg; chromium 2.29 mg/kg; cobalt 1.45 mg/kg; copper 15.83 mg/kg; lead 4.38 mg/kg; nickel 27.9 mg/kg; selenium below 0.01 mg/kg; polychlorinated biphenyls below 0.01; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons below 0.01; and residues of pesticides and crop-protection products below 0.01.

Organic agriculture was certified by Suolo e Salute, and wines from the 2019 harvest could carry the organic-wine mark. The purpose of the conversion was to preserve healthy, intact soils for the future.

Spontaneous vegetation covered the vineyard floor and was cut when required. Pesticides and herbicides were never used, including during the period of conventional farming. Every other year, fava beans and grasses were grown and incorporated as green manure to return nutrients removed through grape production.

Training systems were adapted to individual parcels: the modified semipergola casertana at Monticelli improved the movement of air and light around two fruiting canes; Guyot espalier was used at Bosco Agnese and Mascioni; and traditional high espalier was retained at Vigna di Zia Rosa and Vigna del Sasso. Planting density ranged from 1,600 to 5,000 vines/ha, while parcel yields ranged from approximately 20 to 60 q/ha.

Climate was monitored continuously through the vegetative cycle, enabling treatments to be targeted and limited to periods of need. Harvesting was by hand, normally into 15 kg cases. Bunches were selected meticulously so that only intact, fully mature fruit entered production. Difficult seasons therefore affected quantity rather than the standard of accepted fruit; yields could be reduced sharply, and individual wines were sometimes not made at all. This occurred with four red labels in 2018.

Pallagrello Bianco was normally harvested at the beginning of September. Casavecchia followed between late September and early October, while the later-ripening Pallagrello Nero was harvested in October. Casavecchia’s large but loose bunches allowed air to circulate between berries, helping the grapes dry rapidly after moisture and limiting mould and disease pressure.

The winery occupied the historic centre of Castel Campagnano. Its barrel cellar was an approximately 100 m² underground chamber about 10 m below ground level, associated with the roughly thousand-year-old Lombard foundation of the town. The upper floor contained the modern production cellar, including stainless-steel tanks and winemaking equipment.

Fruit was harvested by hand and subjected to rigorous manual selection. Production then proceeded through crushing, fermentation or élevage and bottling under direct supervision. The range used stainless steel for controlled fermentation and maturation, while selected wines also employed barriques. The Pallagrello Nero grappa was made from fresh pomace by discontinuous distillation and matured for one year in French-oak barriques.

Vintage character was deliberately retained. Cooler or rainier seasons produced finer-bodied expressions, while warmer years produced more robust ones, with corresponding differences in aroma and acidity. When fruit quality for a particular label was insufficient, that wine was not produced rather than being standardised across vintages.

Terre del Principe defined wine as the endpoint of an intellectual and inward cultural journey, connecting it with music, visual art and literature. Its founders presented the project as both a challenge and a love story: love of the land and wine, pride in recovering Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero and Casavecchia, and a determination to pursue excellence through their own work, judgement and commitment.

Quality began in the vineyard. The guiding principle was that healthy, fully mature grapes were indispensable to serious wine. Organic farming, spontaneous ground cover, green manure and the rejection of pesticides and herbicides expressed the wish to pass on soil as healthy and intact as it had been received.

The wines were treated as artisanal products whose identity should change with the season. Rainfall, heat and acidity were allowed to shape each vintage rather than being forced into a uniform style. Selection and reduced production were the safeguards: in adverse years the estate accepted smaller quantities or declined to make individual labels.

Recovery of native grapes was inseparable from place. The work with Pallagrello and Casavecchia combined old propagation material and regional training systems with climate monitoring, stainless-steel equipment and precise selection. Tradition and modern control therefore served the same objective: expressing grapes grown exclusively in the estate’s own vineyards.