Andrea Matrone’s route home took him through vineyards in Sicily, Australia, New Zealand and California. In 2014, the Florence-trained winemaker returned to Boscotrecase, on the slopes of Vesuvius, and started Cantine Matrone with his cousin Francesco, a notary with an interest in farming.
They restored an old family cellar and took on local vineyards that had come close to abandonment. The family’s connection to the area goes back much further: the Matrones have grown grapes here since the eighteenth century. An ancestor, engineer Gennaro Matrone, built the road that still leads from Boscotrecase towards the crater.
The work now centres on the vineyards and the grapes that belong here. Whites include Caprettone, Falanghina and Greco; reds include Piedirosso and Aglianico. Volcanic soils and sites facing towards the sea give the project its setting.
Andrea tends the vines himself and keeps cellar work simple, with spontaneous fermentation. The idea is practical: restore vineyards, keep local varieties in use and make a living from the place his family calls home.
