From oil mill to Irpinia winery: the history of the Basso family
Villa Raiano was founded in 1996 by brothers Sabino and Simone Basso together with their brother-in-law Paolo Sibillo — as a consistent expansion of the family business, which had operated an oil mill for generations in the Raiano district of the municipality of Serino. The first vintages were still created in the old factory halls of Oleificio Basso. In 2009, the winery moved to a hill in San Michele di Serino: a 3,500 square meter steel-glass building, designed by architect Annalisa Palmieri, with a view over the Sabato Valley and the surrounding chestnut forests. The change of location was programmatic — from a regional olive oil tradition to one of the most serious addresses for autochthonous grape varieties in all of Campania.
Ecological viticulture on 27 hectares of Irpinian diversity
Villa Raiano cultivates 27 hectares of vineyards, distributed across all three DOCG zones of the province of Avellino: Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and Taurasi. The sites are located at different altitudes and exposures — typical for Irpinia, where soils, microclimate, and altitude change from slope to slope, the mountains rise up to 1,800 meters, and cold winters meet hot summers broken by cool nights. Since 2011, the vineyards have been organic-certified. In the cellar, oenologist Fortunato Sebastiano works according to the principle of minimal intervention: grapes are moved by gravity, mechanical pumps are left out. Daily bâtonnage has been abolished to allow the wines to rest undisturbed on the fine lees. Steel tanks, large wood, and concrete eggs are used depending on the grape variety and site.
Sustainability does not end in the vineyard: Villa Raiano relies on lighter bottles with reduced glass content and low sulfur levels in the bottle — a commitment to production that protects the character of the fruit instead of masking it.
Autochthonous grape varieties, two lines, one territory
The assortment is divided into two clearly separated lines. The Classic line follows the Irpinian tradition and blends grapes from different plots into balanced regional cuvées — Fiano di Avellino DOCG, Greco di Tufo DOCG, Falanghina Beneventano IGT, and Campania Aglianico IGT. The Vigne line, on the other hand, focuses on single vineyards: Bosco Satrano and Alimata stand for Fiano di Avellino from specific plots, Ponte dei Santi and Contrada Marotta for single-vineyard Greco, Costa Baiano for Aglianico from Campi Taurasini. In addition, there is the Taurasi DOCG — the red wine of the region, aged from Aglianico that grows on a single nine-hectare block in Castelfranci. The Fiano shows pear, honey, and walnut with a mineral backbone; the Greco brings peach, almond, and a distinct volcanic minerality; the Taurasi carries the powerful tannin structure that is inherent to Aglianico at this altitude. In total, Villa Raiano produces around 300,000 bottles a year — exclusively from autochthonous varieties that have shaped this corner of the southern Apennines since antiquity.
