In the heart of Campania, in the south of Italy, lies the wine region of Irpinia. This region is particularly famous for the production of great white wines and red wines from steep hillsides, which are also home to several charming villages made up of stone houses.
The majestic landscape of this region inspired the establishment of the Joaquin estate in 1999. The wines of Joaquin result from an exceptional match between the local terroir and the grape varieties planted. According to Raffaele Pagano, a descendant of a large family of winegrowers and the founder of Joaquin, "each vintage presents a brand new project". Revealing the full potential of this very special terroir is at the heart of the philosophy of the estate.
At the Joaquin estate, located in the province of Avellino, Raffaele Pagano has decided to cultivate exclusively old vines of Fiano and Avellino, the signature grape varieties of Irpinia. Some of these vines date from the 19th century and are believed to have survived the phylloxera epidemic.
Both in the vineyard and in the cellar, Raffaele Pagano makes it a point to develop his wines in a way that allows them to preserve their character and reveal it in the most natural way possible. His wines are aged in barrels of local chestnut over a period of many months, as dictated by tradition. The product of long-term work, the wines of Joaquin are some of the finest examples of what viticulture in Campania can offer.
Proud of this terroir and its fabulous ancestral grape varieties, Raffaele Pagano produces widely-recognised DOCG wines, including his Villa della Stella, a Fiano di Avellino DOCG, and Della Societa’, a Taurasi Riserva DOCG.
