Blog: Calabria | Wine region

In the deep south of Italy, apart from almost typical tourism, a prosperous agriculture thrives and flourishes. Orange groves, olive plantations and vineyards enrich the image of this peaceful region, which is predominantly dominated by mountain massifs. Consequently, although there is no room for extensive vineyards as in the other regions of the country, Calabria boasts an amazing variety of delicious wine specialties that uniquely enhance the exquisite character of Calabrian cuisine. Connoisseurs even want to know that these excellent wines, so lush, rich and floral, can very well replace the otherwise not to be despised sauce specialties with some dishes. To start with, no wine is more suitable than the famous Ciro, the wine that was served to athletes at the ancient Olympic Games.

With its hot climate and its vineyards, some of which are located at high altitudes, Calabria has excellent potential for viticulture. This was once brought by the Greeks to Magna Graecia (Great Greece), which included Calabria. The tip of the Italian boot is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. The land has many steep coasts, few sandy beaches, and the mountainous character of the Italian Appenines predominates.

The soil conditions are generally poor, which is quite advantageous for viticulture. The share of Italian wine production is negligible at 1.5%. Calabria has several wine-growing zones, with that of the Ciròwine is probably the most significant. The area is named after the small town of the same name in the mountains with only 3,600 inhabitants. During a walk through Cirò it can happen that one is addressed effusively in the broadest Swabian. You quickly learn from your friendly counterpart that you 'would have made it at Daimler'. The joy and amazement is great on both sides, one feels how small the world is, even at the end of Europe. The encounter with the former guest worker fits smoothly into the history of the south. Calabria is part of Magna Graecia, the region of 'great Greece' in ancient times. The Greeks settled and occupied the land thousands of years ago. In this context it is worth mentioning that since the middle of the 14th century there have been fifty Albanian villages in Calabria. The inhabitants fled here before the Turks. In the schools have always been taught bilingually, roads and place-name signs are also.

The Cirò is a classic and probably the most famous wine of Calabria. It is produced in three versions - red, white and rose - and received DOC recognition back in 1969. The most remarkable Cirò is certainly the Rosso Classico, from the Gaglioppo vine, which can count itself among the most beautiful red wines of Italy. In its most honest form, this wine does not use any complementary grapes and embodies the original characteristics of Calabria.

Calabria is the home of Cirò wines and the underlying grape varieties Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco. From these are pressed the well-known representatives Ciro Rosso, Ciro Rosato and Ciro Bianco. The winery Librandi is still considered a prime example of viticulture. - Gerardo [TS01/23]

"The fact that the province of Cosenza has been doing well for some years now is to be credited to the Consorzio dei Vini della Calabria Citra and, in particular, to Demetrio Stancatis, the go-getting founder and current president of this consortium. He had originally convinced the local winegrowers to join forces in order to achieve, above all, a higher product standard. A successful concept that shows foresight and is now producing revolutionary results." - Gambero Rosso