The wine of the Salotto del Mondo
There is a lot of talk about the main typical dishes of our island. Those who come to the Living room of the world don’t forget to enjoy an evening dedicated to the pleasure of the palate with delicacies that are difficult to imitate.
E Still on the subject of taste and palate, we are talking about another product linked to the gastronomic tradition of Capri: wine. Legend has it that the bishop of Byzantium San Costanzo imported at the time of the Roman emperors a barrel full of Capri wine, watered down and used as a refreshing drink, according to a use that continued until a few decades ago.
To spread the custom of drinking wine here at Capri were the monks of the Certosa, in particular the white wine, which due to its lightness was consumed in large quantities. Between the two world wars, the pale straw-colored white wine of capri was even exported to America and Argentina, a wine made from Aglianico, Biancolella, Fiano and Greco grapes, with an average alcohol content of around eleven degrees.
Ideal to accompany fish-based recipes, the wines of Capri contributed to the fame of the historic Caffè Morgano, later called Zum Kater Hiddigeigei, the local heart of the social life of the island between the nineteenth and Twentieth century, frequented by famous personalities.
Among the great admirers of Capri wine there was certainly Norman Douglas, who went specifically to the restaurant in Peppinella (the current restaurant “ Le Grottelle ”) to drink in quantity.
A great drinker of white wine was also Graham Green, the author of “The Third Man”, who frequented the former Osteria Aniello. But Capri wine seduced the palate of many other characters, starting with the emperors Augustus and Tiberius, then Oscar Wilde, Frederik Krupp, up to Gorkij and Lenin; the latter, in a letter sent from Capri to his wife, praised the beauty of the sea and the goodness of the local wine.
The local production made of local grapes has never shone in quantity because, over the years, the plots have been diminishing of land planted with vineyards. However, there is no shortage of local growers who still “make wine” and who can delight those chosen few of the place.
