Corte Normanna Falanghina (2008)

Tasted blind in a lineup of Italian whites, the 2008 Corte Normanna Falanghina impressed me. Starting with a little onion skin, this falanghina also offered smells of dried herbs and marshmallow. Candied citrus peel and good acid carried through the palate, tailing out along a long, acid finish.

From my scribbled notes, I guessed this could have been a bright vermentino, or even a soave or other garganega based wine. Wrong on both counts, and another confirmation of falanghina as an interesting Italian white grape.

Sourced for the tasting through Enoteca Sileno.

Terredura Irpinia Falanghina 2008, Campania

Falanghina is not a grape variety I am familiar with, so when I saw it on the by the glass list at Italian and Sons in Braddon, I gave it a look.

Not quite brassy in colour or flavours, there are aspects of viognier to this wine (in a good way). Served with salt cod fritters (a good match), the colour is around the middle of the yellow spectrum. It had good texture and palate weight, shy of being viscous. The texture balanced well with some crisp acid to avoid any risk of being cloying. It finishes fairly short, but there are some nice, grippy phenolics to give the finish character.

Good to have had, and something to keep a lookout for if you are keen on an Italian white with some texture and palate weight.