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[albiston]

Mr Asimov,

I enjoyed reading your article about Campania on the NYTimes a few weeks ago, a nice article on some of the wines of the region. I have lived quite a long time in Naples so I cannot hide a little pride in seeing your article. I was curious about the wineries chosen. Those mentioned there were either big producers, like Feudi di San Gregorio or Mastroberardino, or cult producers bringing out tiny amounts of wine on the market, like Montevetrano and Fontana Galardi. I was slightly surprised by the almost complete lack of mention for many medium small producers, some of which are considered between the best by the Italian press. I was wondering if your picks had been dictated by what is present on the US market or by your personal preference.

Also, did you have a chance to dine out around the region while there? For years nothing much seemed to happen in the region, especially away from the coast, and now there's an explosion of new places like Locanda di Bu, Marenna (Feudi's restaurant) and a few others. What impression did you get of the restaurant scene?

Thank you.

[Eric Asimov]

I do think I mentioned some mid-size places, like Moletierri, Villa Raino, Caggiano, Paternoster in Vulture (not small, admittedly), Vestini-Campagnolo, Alois, De Conciliius and perhaps a few others.

I did have a chance to eat at Locanda di Bu, which I thought was great. I only was in Naples for a night, and of course had to go to Da Michele. I also had one wonderful meal in Umbria, but can't remember the name of the restaurant right now. I had fabulous mozzarella, and ate in another great place near Paestum, which looked like a generic banquet hall but it was really good.