Major Wines Just Dropped In From Molise!

September 19, 2025

Major Wines Just Dropped In From Molise!

Nothing screams wine discovery more than the bunch of exotic ferments from Di Majo Norante just landed from an Italian wine region you haven’t heard of but will most likely love to.

The immediate international top of mind recalls from across Italy’s vinous hinterland invariably returns the likes of Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto and Sicily and while these marquee regions have an untouchable reputation, Italy’s embarrassment of riches is underlined by lesser known gems that are just as potent. Molise is a region that sits in south central Italy, wedged between Puglia and Abruzzo and is one you’ve probably never heard of. Yet, this second smallest geographic demarcation that broke away from Abruzzo in 1963 has been recently gaining currency for its lot of homegrown maritime wines. One of its premiere flagbearers is Di Majo Norante, hailed as one Molise’s stylistic leaders. The family nurtures over 200 acres of vineyards in Marquises Norante of Santa Cristina anchored on sandy soils along the windswept Adriatic coast. This sub region has historic roots stretching back to to 500 BC when the the civilsations of Osci and Sanniti tended to vines even before the Romans did.

While its modern history began in 1968, Di Majo Norante’s family made wines nearly 200 years ago, the proof of which shines in dank yet functional ancient cellars underneath the estate’s old building in Campomarino. In the 1960s Luigi di Majo replanted the family’s vineyards in Ramitello and his son subsequently inherited and further enhanced the estate’s reputation for brilliant terroir driven wines. Molise’s unique geographical spot in Italy’s shoehorn, gifts it a continental climate to its interior west and cool maritime and windy weather on the coastal east, banked by the Adriatic sea and influenced by the Apennine Mountains and the larger umbrella of a classic Mediterranean climate. The estate’s own vineyard soils abound in limestone and clay, which coupled with a helpful climate, imbue the fruit with a balance of concentrated fruit and good acidic backbone. Di Majo Norante has carved its endearing niche with a combination of workmanlike peasant tradition and modern organic viticulture.

The estate is certified organic and headed by patriarch Alessio Di Majo along with wine making authority Riccardo Cotarella. Di Majo Norante has been much lauded for its championing of indigenous red grape Tintilia as well as neighouring grapes Falanghina, Aglianico and Montepulciano. The estate’s vineyards carpet the Ramitello sub region which abounds with receptive soil and a reliably generous supply of summer breeze that cools the fruit, allowing it to keep off diseases the natural way. Alessio ensures high organic standards in the vineyard, treating the vines with fertilizers of organic and mineral origin. He is also one of the region’s pioneering viticulturists for the fact that he rigorously researched, field tested and selected the clones most suited elect the most suitable clones of autochthonous (indigenous) vines by studying their adaptability to the Mediterranean soil. Di Majo Norante’s wines singularly illuminate the terroir of Molise on the palate and there’s a most representative trio of bottles, now part of the Wine Park cellar, waiting to be poured and discovered. Cheers!