San Salvatore 1988

On a clear day, you can see the island of Capri, the Amalfi Coast and the Gulf of Salerno, with its shimmering blue waters, from the vineyards of San Salvatore 1988 in the Cilento area of Campania in southern Italy. These are some of the most sought-after summer destinations, with luxury hotels, celebrity chefs and a booming labor force linked to the very lucrative tourism trade. Giuseppe (“Peppino”) Pagano likes to tell this story. He was walking through his vineyards, taking in this panorama, when it hit him, “Non è solo bellezza, è anche bontà.” I’ve translated his words as, “It’s not just beauty, it is benevolence.” Despite the views of Capri, the Cilento suffers from a stark economic reality with some of the highest youth unemployment rates in the region of Campania, which averaged above 50% (with one out of two young people without a job) in 2019, the year before COVID-19. A lack of infrastructure and services means only the diehard or the most courageous entrepreneurs will survive in this largely unknown part of southern Italy. Peppino not only survives, he thrives, with multiple businesses linked to hospitality, restaurants and wine. That’s on top of the mozzarella. His caseificio, or dairy farm, makes some of the best mozzarella di bufala on earth. His stables house 450 heads of water buffalo for the production of Mozzarella di Bufala DOP Campana. Peppino saw potential in an area of Italy that was otherwise known for hardship and emigration. “I do everything for the younger generations,” he tells me while walking through the same vineyard rows where he had his illumination. “I want to show them that dreams can be realized in the Cilento.” With organic and biodynamic cultivations, Peppino farms both grapevines and olives. Solar panels and biogas plants (that use buffalo manure) mean that his operations run entirely off of renewable energy. He founded one of my favorite roadside eateries, La Dispensa di San Salvatore (check it out: https://www.ladispensa1988.it), where you can order an amazing lunch or stop by the shop to buy organic mozzarella, ricotta, yogurt and even ice cream made with buffalo milk. A few years ago, Peppino opened a fine-dining restaurant in the Savoy Beach Hotel that he owns. The restaurant, Tre Olivi, with chef Giovanni Solofra, grabbed headlines across Italy when it earned an exceptional two Michelin stars straight out of the gate. “Tre Olivi burst onto the culinary scene after being awarded two Michelin stars when previously it held none, so impressed were our inspectors by the skillful chef here,” writes the MICHELIN Guide. Peppino’s latest project is a wine bar inside the archeological park of Paestum. He bought an abandoned building directly across the pathway from the magnificent Greek temple of Athena (built in 500 BC) and is creating a library cellar of local bottles. “These are the ingredients that make a great wine. I was inspired by the idea that I could do things to improve the situation here,” says Peppino Pagano of his native Cilento. “This is my way of communicating. This is a way of expressing myself without using my voice. This is my way of talking by way of my thoughts.” We are proud to present the Green Emblem award to Peppino Pagano of San Salvatore 1988. He represents an inspiring model of sustainability that applies to people of all ages in the Cilento who seek a better and more prosperous future.

As its name suggests, San Salvatore 1988 is a relatively young estate founded by Giuseppe Pagano (affectionately named “Peppino”) not far from the archeological park of Paestum in Campania. The estate has 25 hectares of vines in Cannito, a sloping terrain that sits directly under the Monte Calpazio that rises 550 meters above sea level. Peppino recognized this site for its ideal conditions with limestone clay soils, steep diurnal shifts from the mountains that help to develop acidity and constant breezes from the seashore to keep the vines healthy. Many of his wines, like the top-shelf Aglianico Omaggio a Gillo Dorfles, have colorful labels featuring the artwork of Italian painter and philosopher Gillo Dorfles. He makes excellent whites, including the Fiano Pian di Stio and the Greco Calpazio. There is a rosé Metodo Classico sparkling wine made with Aglianco and a popular “no sulfites” expression made with the same native variety. The identity of this wine estate reflects the personality of its founder. Peppino is unrivaled in his passion, enthusiasm and optimism for the Cilento.