Biography
Founded in 1978, the Terredora winery of Walter Mastroberardino and his children Paolo, Lucio, and Daniela, has concentrated, since the very beginning, on the centuries-old native grape varieties of Campania in the Italian south, Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, and Falanghina, introducing innovative techniques in their cultivation and fermentation to bring out all of their potential and expressiveness. Promoting in this way a return to the oldest and most qualified traditions of the region, the firm has contributed to its rebirth. A decisive moment in this process occurred in 1994, when, with the separation of the two branches of the family, Walter Mastroberardino decided, together with his children, to construct a cellar and take charge of the entire production cycle, fermenting the grapes of his own vineyards and bottling the wines with the name of the Terradora estate. And he decided to locate the cellar at Montefusco, partly because the spot was an ideal barycenter for vineyards located at a certain distance from this central spot and partly because the hamlet itself is of historical importance: it was the ancient Fulsulae, mentioned by Titus Livio and successively the capital of the principality of Ultra, the territory which corresponds to the modern-day Irpinia. The modern cellars are framed by the natural scenery of the Serra di Montefusco at close to 2200 feet above sea level, a position which dominates the production zones of three major Irpinia appellations: Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo in the Sabato river valley, Taurasi in the Calore river valley. With over 375 acres of proprietary vineyards, and 75 leased acres, the house is, today, the most important and far-extending viticultural producer of Campania which ferments its own grapes. Quantity is not the question: its pride is to possess a kind of DNA data bank of the genetic patrimony of Greco, Fiano, Aglianico, Falanghina, and other old grape varieties of the region thanks to the work of collection, selection, and conservation carried out by Paolo Mastroberardino in the 1970’s. Terredora produces a million bottles of wine annually: a rich gamut of many different types and different price levels, all easily recognizable, however, by their strong expression of the territory of Irpinia and their high overall quality level. In the line known as the crus, two Greco di Tufo offerings stand out, Loggia della Serra and Terre degli Angeli, plus a Fiano d’Avellino and a Falanghina. The Fiano d’Avellino CampoRe and the Taurasi Riserva CampoRe are the true outstanding crus of the winery. Above all the Taurasi, an elegant pure Aglianico bottling, imposing in structure, one of the most representative wines of the best oenology of Italy’s south.