Great Value Wines: 10 Fiano for Under $30
Italy consistently produces the largest number of best-value wines we rate and review each year, as highlighted in our Top 100 Value Wines of 2021. But even in Italy, there are few better value propositions than Campania, which is home to a wide variety of well-made wines that are approachable and delicious, yet with many of the best costing no more than $30. For reds, aglianico is king, but Campania also produces a fantastic range of white wines each year. The region is home to wonderful varieties like greco, falanghina and coda di volpe, but fiano is perhaps the most compelling white variety of the bunch.
Fiano’s most quintessential expressions come from Fiano di Avellino DOCG, which surrounds the town of Avellino in the district of Irpinia. While the regional capital of Campania, Naples, is famed for its baking heat, Irpinia is a more mountainous and cooler subsection with ancient volcanic soils and clay limestone, imbuing the wines with a distinct smoky and flinty character. Fiano di Avellino is typically very mineral as a result, with a slight floral edge and firm, ripe fruit at its core. Some examples even have a bit of delightful salinity, which make for excellent food pairing companions.
READ MORE: TOP 100 VALUES WINES OF 2021 ($35 OR LESS!)
The best fiano come from the higher elevation sites with cooler temperatures that allow the grapes to retain the maximum amount of acidic and mineral drive. Many of the wines have enough complexity and depth to age for a decade or more, making them favorites of collectors.
The combination of high elevation, porous volcanic soils and cooling winds result in nuanced and charming wines that are fresh and vibrant when young but that are built to go the distance if stored properly.
The fiano grape has an incredibly long and well-documented history in Campania, but it nearly went extinct after phylloxera wiped out many important vineyards. It was not until the 1970s and ‘80s that fiano began to come back to the region in full force, thanks to the efforts of the Mastroberardino family – historically important producers in Campania who have championed indigenous grapes like fiano while others have focused on international varieties with more global appeal.
The list below has two of the Mastroberardino family’s Great Value fiano offerings, along with eight others – all under $30 and available at any reputable wine merchant. The 2020s are fresh and buzzing with mineral excitement. The ones from 2019 and 2018 have a nutty and honeyed character that will continue to grow with time. Whenever you choose to pop the cork on any of these Great Value wines, you will be greeted with the sense of place and distinctive elegance that makes Fiano di Avellino so special. Enjoy.
– Nathan Slone, Associate Editor
Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino Radici 2020 – JS95
International price: $25.99
Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino Empatia 2020 – JS94
Totalwine.com: $24.99
Di Meo Fiano di Avellino 2020 – JS93
Zachys.com: $29.99
Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino Radici 2019 – JS93
Wine.com: $29.99
Terredora Fiano di Avellino TerreDora 2019 – JS93
Wine.com: $21.99
Donnachiara Fiano di Avellino 2020 – JS92
Totalwine.com: $19.99
Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino Tognano 2018 – JS92
Wine.com: $24.99
Pietracupa Fiano Campania 2018 – JS91
International Price: $29.99
Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino 2020 – JS90
KLWines.com: $19.99
Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino 2018 – JS90
Wine.com: $25.99