Wine friends,

I don’t always agree with the Gambero Rosso wine guide, but when I do…well, there’s usually a good reason.

In this case, that reason is the indisputable quality of Contrada Salandra’s 2020 Falanghina. This sensational Campania white wine earned the coveted “Tre Bichieri” (Three Glasses) award from Gambero Rosso, and as a result, it was not easy to secure many bottles for today’s offer. (Get your orders in early, please!) 

Lucky for us, owner-winemaker Giuseppe Fortunato remembers how much Open Tuesday members raved about his Piedirosso wines, offered in the spring of 2023 and 2022.

Contrada Salandra is a small family-run estate that specializes in classically styled organic Falanghina and Piedirosso wines. The vineyards are located just to the west of downtown Naples, in the Campi Flegrei (Fields of Fire), which sit directly on the largest volcanic area in all of Europe.

This 2020 Falanghina is just making its way onto the Italian market, and we are the only retailer already selling it in North America. (Look for a Piedirosso offer during our fall season.)

Contrada Salandra - 2020 Campi Flegrei Falanghina

Contrada Salandra’s 2020 Falanghina is a vibrant medium- to full-bodied organic white wine made in the Campi Flegrei, just to the west of downtown Napoli. It’s a balanced and fresh Falanghina, showing subtle notes of honeysuckle, apple, and pear. 

To order, just click the blue link above and follow the prompts.

Here’s what I wrote about Contrada Salandra last spring:

Giuseppe Fortunato’s small, biodynamic winery near Pozzuoli produces wines that are elegant and refreshing in a way that sets them apart from anything else produced in southern Italy.

I’m not alone in regarding Contrada Salandra’s wines as truly special. All the Italian guidebooks agree that Giuseppe is a star. 

In 2022 and 2023, the Slow Wine guide awarded its highest honor, la chiocciola (the snail), to Contrada Salandra. L’Espresso tells us Contrada Salandra has established its wines as the most highly regarded in Campania. In 2022, the Gambero Rosso guide called Giuseppe one of the greatest interpreters of Campi Flegrei wines.

Just a few years ago, Ian D’Agata, who is probably Italy’s most esteemed wine writer, visited Contrada Salandra in person. The wines impressed Ian so much that before leaving, he warned Giuseppe that Contrada Salandra was destined for wine fame. 

To date, Ian’s prediction has not come to pass, and Contrada Salandra remains mostly under-the-radar. As a result, the wines still offer incredible value – even though Giuseppe’s wines get better and better every year.

Contrada Salandra always has fun Facebook posts: https://www.facebook.com/contradasalandra

This is where Contrada Salandra sits on the map of southern Italy: Contrada Salandra

Food pairing: Contrada Salandra’s Falanghina pairs beautifully with fatty fish like Tuna or Salmon. A great local dish would be mezzi paccheri con coccio (coccio fish with large tubes of paccheri pasta). In my house, we usually drink this wine with spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams). 

Previous vintages of this wine sold for an average price of $30 at other online retailers. 

Open Tuesday is the only retailer in North America currently offering the award-winning 2020.

Happy Tuesday,

Chris

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us: [email protected].  

Receive a $25 credit for every referred member after the purchase of their first bottle.

How it works: 

After clicking one of the links above, you’ll be able to request 1-12 bottles. Actually, that’s all you have to do!

About a week later, when we close the offer, you’ll get an email confirming how many bottles we allocated to your account. We will charge you when the wines are allocated.

We’ll do our best to allocate all the bottles you request. When there are more requests than bottles available, we’ll allocate one bottle to all requesting members before allocating a second bottle to anyone. We want as many members as possible to try these wines.

This is the second offer of our 2024 spring season. Through the end of March, we plan to send offers on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

We ship in increments of 12. With 16-18 offers this season, there should be plenty of chances to get to 12, 24, or 36. If you don’t have an increment of 12 at the end of the fall season offers, we can hold your wines until the next offer season.

Wines offered in the fall will ship in April for $5 per bottle (if you have an increment of 12.) This is about the same as the price to ship coast-to-coast within the U.S. – but our wines come directly from Italy.

Once your payment method is on file, you can make future requests with just a few clicks from the offer email. If you don’t have a card on file, you can add one during your first order. Your personal financial information is protected by Stripe.

Chris MacLean

Rob Genova

Open Tuesday Wines S.r.l.s.

Milano - Italy