From Irpina to Vulture, from Bolgheri to Pompeii: 40 years of projects of Feudi di San Gregorio

When talking about wine, one often recalls millennia-old traditions, and when talking about Italy in particular, stories of centuries-old families usually come to mind. However, it is often forgotten that much of “modern” wine, the one which has brought Italy to the top of the world, is, all things considered, relatively young as a sector, with many successful ventures emerging in the mid-1980s, often as an overall “reaction” to the infamous “methanol scandal”. It was 1986, in fact, when one of the most important wine companies in Campania and Italy was founded: Feudi di San Gregorio, owned by the Capaldo family and today headed by Antonio Capaldo. In recent days, the company celebrated its first 40 years of activity, taking the opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved and what still lies ahead. For its anniversary No. 40, Feudi has also gifted itself one of the most beautiful and meaningful projects not only in its own history but in that virtuous Italian tradition which unites wine and culture: a project with the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the most famous archaeological area in Italy and one of the most important in the world. In 2025, it welcomed over 4 million visitors from across the globe. Here, the Tenute Capaldo Group (particularly through Feudi di San Gregorio and Basilisco) will create a true “archaeological vineyard” which will eventually exceed 6 hectares, featuring native grape varieties grown on soils untouched for more than two thousand years. The project also includes the construction of a fully operational, organic winery within the excavation site, with vinification and aging facilities, to once again produce “Pompeian wine”.
This anniversary is not a finishing line but a starting point, explains Feudi di San Gregorio, which “since 1986 has chosen to tell the story of Irpinia, the green heart of Campania through its native grape varieties - Greco, Fiano, Aglianico - with the belief that curiosity is the key to transforming deep roots into the future”.
“In these forty years we have learned that wine is not just a product - explains Antonio Capaldo, president of the company - but a true universal language rooted in beauty which transcends space and time: it talks about landscapes and communities, of land and experience, of ancient gestures and modern experimentation. We cultivate over 300 hectares of vineyards across more than 800 different plots, preserving the biodiversity of a territory which never ceases to amaze us”.
Along this journey, Feudi di San Gregorio has explored new paths, from studying the unique centuries-old vines known as “the Patriarchs” to the FeudiStudi project, created to narrate the mosaic of Irpinia viticulture and soils. This experience now also lives on in the project that the winery will develop in Pompeii, where, through a public-private partnership with the Archaeological Park, it is tasked with creating a winery unlike any other in the world.
“Our labels, designed twenty-five years ago by the genius of Massimo and Lella Vignelli - continues Capaldo - reflect our belief that the beauty of the territory, the company, and the wine is a fundamental value to share with wine lovers who, like us, are eager to explore new horizons. For this reason, in November 2025 we published the book “Lella and Massimo Vignelli and Feudi di San Gregorio” (edited by design historian Domitilla Dardi), dedicated to our relationship with these two great masters. To celebrate our twenty-year friendship and collaboration with the Vignellis, we also became partners of the exhibition “Lella and Massimo Vignelli. A Language of Clarity”, held at Triennale Milano from March 25th to September 6th, 2026”.
The “artist winery” in Sorbo Serpico, designed by architect Hikaru Mori, is the beating heart of Feudi di San Gregorio. Here, alongside production, Borgo San Gregorio arises, a “decompression” space immersed in unspoiled nature, designed to welcome guests and visitors. It is here that the main celebrations for the anniversary No. 40 will take place, along with the presentation of the art collection built since 2014, result of the company support project for the San Gennaro Foundation, of which it is a founding partner. “Our commitment is to continue telling the story of Irpinia with curiosity and passion, building bridges between tradition and innovation. We believe wine is culture, beauty, and sharing, and we want every bottle to continue speaking about our territory to the world”, adds Antonio Capaldo.
Today, Feudi di San Gregorio is also a Benefit Corporation “because sustainability is not a slogan, but a concrete, daily commitment to the environment and the community. Every choice - from the vineyard to the label, from design to renewable energy - arises from the idea of creating value today while thinking about future generations”, explains the company.
This same vision has guided projects outside Irpinia as well (from the Dubl sparkling wine to Bolgheri with Campo alle Comete, to Vulture with Basilisco, and more recently to Ischia with the Costa delle Parracine project, ed) while never losing sight of the guiding principle: wine as culture, creativity, and sharing. “A journey driven by curiosity and openness to dialogue with creative minds, convinced that from exchange come the sparks that build the future”.
To celebrate this anniversary with its audience, Feudi di San Gregorio has chosen to tell not only its history but its deepest essence: a personality shaped by curiosity, imagination, and courage. This gave rise to the advertising campaign “Il Viaggio Meraviglioso” - “The Wonderful Journey”, featured in leading food, design, and lifestyle publications, created by Studio Ruini and illustrated by Gaia Alari. An imaginative journey which celebrates 40 years of curiosity and captures, in narrative form, the spirit that has always guided the company. In 2026, as it celebrates its anniversary No. 40, Feudi di San Gregorio looks not only at its past but above all at the curiosity which has brought it this far and continues to drive it toward new challenges. Together with winemakers, collaborators, partners, friends, and enthusiasts in Italy and around the world, it is ready to write the next chapters of its story.