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Cantina Giardino

Fiano Sophia 2018

Price: $39.95
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Tasting notes

Sophia is unlike any other Fiano you will encounter: the year-plus skin maceration in Daniela's handmade amphorae gives it a saline, mineral grip, a deep amber-orange colour, and a tannic structure that demands time in the glass. Aromas move from orange peel and dried apricot through hazelnut and white pepper, with a brackish, smoky mineral note underneath that is purely Irpinia.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
OrangeDried ApricotHazelnutSaline Mineral
  • Style: Dry, full-bodied orange wine; deep amber; saline mineral and citrus peel; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Fiano; ~70-year-old vines; organic and biodynamic; volcanic and clay-calcareous soils; ~500m elevation; province of Avellino, Irpinia
  • Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts; extended skin maceration in 200-litre handmade terracotta amphorae; refined in chestnut casks; unfined, unfiltered, zero added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 57-61F; open 30 to 60 minutes before serving; continues to develop over several hours in the glass
  • Pairing: Salt cod, grilled cuttlefish, seared mackerel, aged Pecorino, herb crepes
  • Similar To: For fans of Gravner or Radikon orange wines who want a southern Italian volcanic expression

Fiano Sophia is a skin-contact orange wine made from 100% Fiano sourced from old vines averaging around 70 years of age in the province of Avellino, Irpinia. The vineyards sit at approximately 500 metres above sea level on volcanic and clay-calcareous soils, farmed organically and biodynamically by hand. The Campania IGP classification is used deliberately: the extended maceration time required for Sophia is incompatible with the Fiano di Avellino DOCG protocols.

Each vintage, Antonio and Daniela De Gruttola select the grapes and site they judge most suited for the Sophia format. In 2018 that choice fell on Fiano. The grapes ferment spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerate on their skins for an extended period in 200-litre terracotta amphorae handmade by Daniela from clay excavated directly from the vineyard soils. After pressing, the wine refines in chestnut casks. No fining, no filtration, no added sulfites.

The result is a deeply structured orange wine with marked tannic grip by white wine standards, biting freshness, and a profile closer to a red wine in weight and approach. Serve it as you would a red: at 14 to 16 degrees Celsius, opened well in advance, and ideally revisited over several hours in the glass.

Sophia is Cantina Giardino's most singular wine, produced in tiny quantities, and every vintage carries a label designed by a different local artist. The 2018 received a score of 94 points from a critic tracked by Wine-Searcher.

The tannic grip and high acidity make this a natural match for oily, umami-rich dishes. Pair with baccalà alla napoletana (salt cod), grilled cuttlefish, or seared mackerel. Aged Pecorino or a sheep's milk cheese with some funk also works well.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Fiano
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Campania
Appellation:, Campania IGP
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

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Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Cantina Giardino

Cantina Giardino was founded in Ariano Irpino in the late 1990s when Antonio and Daniela De Gruttola began making wine with a group of friends in the garage of a local figure known as Professor Giardino, from whom the winery takes its name. What began as informal production for personal consumption became a commercial winery in 2003, making them early proponents of zero-addition winemaking in southern Italy. Their founding purpose was to identify and rescue old-vine parcels throughout the province of Avellino that local farmers could no longer afford to maintain, and to prove those sites could produce wines of genuine character. Antonio trained in food technology before specialising in viticulture and oenology in Piedmont; Daniela studied architecture and is a central creative and practical force at the estate, including handcrafting terracotta amphorae from clay taken from the vineyard soils themselves.

The estate now works approximately seven hectares across multiple parcels in the province of Avellino, with vines of Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, Coda di Volpe, Primitivo, and Piedirosso, some exceeding 100 years of age. All vines are trained in the traditional alberello (bush vine) method, allowing only hand work. Farming is organic and biodynamic throughout: no chemical treatments, low planting density, and grass, herbs, and other plants growing between the rows to support soil biodiversity. The winery also sources fruit from a network of local growers who farm in the same traditional manner.

In the cellar, Antonio's approach is non-interventionist. Fermentation proceeds spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and without temperature control, sometimes continuing for months. Aging vessels include handmade terracotta and sandstone amphorae and large casks of local chestnut, acacia, cherry, and mulberry wood. The Sophia cuvée is the most protocol-bound wine in the range: each vintage, the grape and site judged best suited to extended amphora maceration are selected, and the wine macerates on its skins in 200-litre terracotta amphorae for a minimum of six months, with some vintages exceeding a year. All wines are bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without added sulfites. Each vintage carries a label created by a different local artist.

Wine region

Campania, Italy

Campania is a large southern Italian region anchored by Naples and the Tyrrhenian coast, but its most serious wine production sits well inland in the mountainous province of Avellino, known as Irpinia. This landlocked, high-altitude territory is defined by extinct volcanic activity, calcareous and clay soils, and vineyards that regularly exceed 500 metres above sea level. The climate is continental rather than Mediterranean at these elevations: winters are cold with regular snowfall, summers see wide diurnal swings, and autumn rains are common. These conditions push indigenous white varieties like Fiano to ripen slowly, retaining both acidity and aromatic complexity through the extended growing season.

Irpinia holds three DOCGs, all of national significance: Taurasi for Aglianico reds, Fiano di Avellino for whites from the Fiano grape, and Greco di Tufo for whites from Greco. The Fiano di Avellino DOCG covers 26 municipalities across 430 hectares at elevations between 300 and 650 metres, with soils ranging from volcanic and clay-calcareous in Lapio to clay-heavy hillsides in Montefredane. Fiano is thought to have originated in the Lapio area and is regarded as one of Italy's most age-worthy white varieties. Cantina Giardino's wines are labelled Campania IGP, which gives the winery flexibility to use extended skin macerations and unconventional vessels that fall outside the DOCG production rules.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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