Massimo Setaro’s family name is synonymous with pasta throughout Campania, but his heart belongs to his ancient vines on Vesuvius. When he founded Casa Setaro in 2004, he wasn't starting from scratch—he was awakening something that had always been there: vines his family had tended for generations, growing in the volcanic sands inhospitable to the phylloxera root louse.

Working entirely within Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio at 250 meters in altitude, Massimo tends just 12 hectares of exclusively own-rooted vines. While their pasta business built the family’s reputation over centuries, these 70-year-old Falanghina vines represent something different—a connection to Vesuvius’ past, when this variety was prized by the Romans.

Setaro practices organic viticulture without herbicides or chemical fertilizers, pursuing what he calls “impact zero” farming. It’s all part of his effort to transmit the voice of his terroir as clearly as possible. He’s done it better than almost anyone we know.

Why You'll Love It

• Ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines—a true rarity in modern viticulture, these “piè franco” vines deliver pure Falanghina character directly from their ashen terroir with STUNNING clarity.
  

• Falanghina as it was meant to be: riotously fragrant, with notes of lemon and orange zest, orange blossom, honeyed yet fresh and dry, with a touch of smoky, volcanic minerality.
  

• From a protected national park on an active volcano—the same volcanic ash that buried Pompeii is a unique terroir of black sand and minerals that marks these wines with an unmistakable stony, ashen character.
  

• A pasta dynasty's passion project—the same vigor and unrelenting standards that have made Setaro pasta some of the best in the world is brought to bear in this labor of love from just 12 hectares.
  

How to Serve It

• Serve chilled in white wine stems at 45-50°F.
  

• Drink now through 2027—in our experience, Falanghina is best in its fruity, effusive, floral youth.
  

• Pair with shrimp crudo drizzled with Ligurian olive oil and dusted with lemon zest, grilled branzino with lemon and rosemary, or fresh linguine with parsley and clams.