The Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic zone just north of Naples, an area of supervolcanic calderas, hot springs, and archaeological ruins that happens to produce some of Campania's most distinctive wine. The Di Meo family has been tending vines here for five generations — since Pasquale Di Meo first established the estate in 1913 — working soils so sandy and porous that phylloxera never penetrated them, allowing the vines to stand ungrafted on their own roots.
Backstory
La Sibilla as a labeled wine estate dates to 1997, when Luigi Di Meo and his wife Restituta formally launched the brand alongside their sons Vincenzo, Salvatore, and Mattia. Today, Vincenzo serves as the winemaker and Salvatore as sommelier and commercial face. The estate was among the first in the Campi Flegrei to earn the region's "Tre Bicchieri" award from Gambero Rosso, receiving that recognition in 2013. The winery is located in Bacoli, the westernmost coastal point of the zone, overlooking the Gulf of Pozzuoli and the Monumental Park of Baia.
The Region
The Campi Flegrei DOC covers a narrow coastal arc of terraced vineyards between the sea and the hills, all sitting atop the volcanic Phlegraean Fields. The sandy volcanic soils — a mix of ash, pumice, and tuff — are what make the zone unique: light, free-draining, and inhospitable to phylloxera. Vines planted directly in this soil, without grafting, produce fruit with a different character than grafted counterparts, with finer structure and a more direct expression of place. Ocean breezes from the Gulf of Pozzuoli moderate temperatures and contribute saline freshness to the wines.
Vineyards and Farming
La Sibilla farms 9.5 hectares of ungrafted, massal-selected vines using organic methods. The estate grows Falanghina Flegrea and Piedirosso as its primary varieties, alongside Marsigliese (a variety believed to derive from Grenache introduced during the Bourbon period) and Olivella. One historic parcel — Vigna Madre — carries official certification as a historical vineyard.
Winemaking
Grapes are picked in mid-to-late September. Vinification and aging take place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with no oak treatment, preserving the bright acidity and volcanic mineral character of both varieties. Wines are bottled at moderate alcohol (around 12 percent) with minimal sulfite additions. The Domus Giulii cuvée receives six months in steel followed by a year of bottle aging.
The Wines
The three tiers — Tradizione, Selezione, and Ricerca — cover the full range from everyday Falanghina and Piedirosso to the single-vineyard selections. The Falanghina Cruna del Lago and Piedirosso Vigna Madre are the estate's benchmark bottles: the former a taut, citrus-and-mineral white; the latter a savory red with dark fruit and volcanic smoke. Annual production is approximately 65,000 bottles.
