Forty years of research have culminated in the Fiano 1993 and the Cuvée 100 Roberto Di Meo. From our correspondent in Campania, Antonella Amodio.
When discussing the aging potential of Italian white wines today, the name Di Meo holds a prominent place. For nearly forty years Roberto and Generoso Di Meo demonstrate that Fiano, Greco, and the other great Irpinia grape varieties can stand the test of time with surprising ease. Evolving over decades without losing their freshness, identity, and emotional appeal.
Roberto, a winemaker, joined the winery in 1986, while his brother Generoso has always been the creative force behind the company, as well as the creator of the famous Di Meo calendar. Together, they have transformed the family’s historic hunting lodge into one of the most influential names in the national wine scene. Over the past forty years, they have created wines that we at DoctorWine have awarded on multiple occasions. The Greco di Tufo Vittorio, the Fiano di Avellino Alessandra, the Fiano Colle dei Cerri – the only white wine in the range aged in oak – and the Taurasi Hamilton.
A production philosophy with a 40-year history
The release of the 1993 Fiano It represents the highlight of this journey. It is not merely about marketing a wine that has remained aged for a full 32 years. But also concrete confirmation of a winemaking philosophy built on patience, observation, and the conviction that time can be the best ally of a great grape variety and wine.
For those who have been following the Di Meo family’s work for some time, this wine represents the culmination of a journey that began many years ago. In fact, 1993 is a vintage that takes me back to my first meetings with Roberto and that, over the years, has become a constant presence during my visits to the winery. I still remember a tasting I did about Five years ago together with Daniele Cernilli at the winery in Salza Irpina: the wine was still resting in the steel tanks, and Roberto, with his usual determination, explained that the time had not yet come to release it. Today, it’s clear why we had to wait.
Fiano 1993: Over Three Decades of Aging
The 1993 Fiano is now available on the market after more than three decades of aging, demonstrating surprising vitality and a depth that leaves you speechless. Only 2,800 bottles and 500 magnums were produced, made from grapes grown in the Salza Irpina vineyard adjacent to the winery. The choice of vintage was no accident: 1993 is remembered as one of Irpinia’s legendary grape harvests, excellent for reds but above all capable of giving whites extraordinary longevity. Its vibrant acidity, still perfectly intact today, is the key to understanding a wine that seems to have stopped time.
Acidity It is, in fact, the cornerstone of Roberto Di Meo’s winemaking philosophy. It is the essential element that allows the wines to withstand very long periods of aging in stainless steel and to evolve over decades while retaining their energy, precision, and terroir. This conviction, developed over forty years of work, has led the winery to become a leading authority on the study of the longevity of Italian white wines.
Cuvée 100, a blend of 10 vintages
Alongside the 1993 Fiano, the Di Meo family presented another wine with strong symbolic value: the Fiano Cuvée 100 Roberto Di Meo. A celebratory wine created to mark two important milestones: Roberto Di Meo’s 60th birthday and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Salza Irpina winery.
Cuvée 100 is made exclusively from Fiano grapes and is the result of theblend of ten different vintages. 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. The number 100 embodies the very essence of the label. The sum of Roberto’s sixty years and the company’s forty-year history.
The Enormous Potential of the Fiano Grape Variety
Here, too, the potential of Fiano is clearly evident – a grape variety that, in the hands of Roberto Di Meo, becomes a tool for exploration, heritage, and innovation. The freshness and acidity – the true hallmark of all the winery’s wines – support a complexity that develops over time without losing momentum. Roberto Di Meo had already revealed to us the reasons behind the surprising aging potential of his wines in an interview that you can read here.
Over the years, the Di Meo winery has developed a production model that makes longevity a deliberate cultural choice. The 1993 Fiano stands today as the most accomplished example of this: a wine that has spanned three decades and arrives in the glass intact, vibrant, and captivating, confirming that Irpinia possesses one of the world’s most significant legacies for the production of great white wines with aging potential.
Campania Fiano 1993
Score: 98/100
Approximate price: € 350
100% Fiano. Aged in stainless steel for 32 years. Bright straw yellow with greenish highlights. The nose is incredibly broad and extremely complex, with notes of white fruit, flint, citrus, and a delicate balsamic touch. On the palate, it is full-bodied and enveloping, supported by a pronounced savory character. Agile, subtle, balanced, and extraordinarily persistent. It finishes with an evocative hint of oyster that accompanies the entire flavor progression.
Campania Fiano Cuvée 100 Roberto Di Meo
Score: 95/100
Estimated price: €110
100% Fiano from 10 different vintages. Aged in stainless steel. Golden straw yellow. Aromas of yellow fruit, cloves, balsamic notes, and hints of citrus zest. On the palate, it is fresh, crisp, and persistent, supported by a solid structure and a long, satisfying finish.
