The mild weather and the sun always shining for most part of the year make Calabria a very wealthy land for land fruits and products. The  native vineyards  make of it one of the eldest region of winemaker.

In fact, vineyards in Calabria are as old as 3,000 years ago and Calabrian wine was already highly appreciated during the Greek domination. They were mad of Cirò – the first vineyards in Calabria,  cultivated in the eastern foothills of the Sila plateau and out to the Ionian coast, in the Cirò, Crucoli and Melissa communes, was used to be offered as  award to the winners of the Olympics in Olympia. Carried in terra-cotta amphora that allowed the wine to preserve its strong flavour, the Cirò is now considered the eldest wine in the world.

But the Greeks, profound lovers of our wine, decided to import also the Greco vineyards, and suddenly became a cult, very popular also through the Latin where Legistlator and Aristocrats went definitively mad for it while women liked it for its known aphrodisiac properties.

Many writers of the past brilliantly described our wine in their books and here we just want to report the marvellous description of  Norman Douglas  in his Old Calabria (that visited twice, in 1907 and 1911) : “One might say much in praise of Calabrian wine”, and still “And yet here nearly every village has its own type of wine and every self-respecting family its own peculiar method of preparation, little known though they be outside the place of production.”

Today the tradition in wine making is still predominant thoroughout the region and the well known Calabrian various native vineyards, a are the trebbiano, the zibibbo, the malvasia, the mantonico bianco, the greco bianco and the guarnaccia for the whites; the gaglioppo, the greco nero, the nerello mascalese, the cappuccio, the guardavalle and thesangiovese for the reds.

High quality with strong and unique flavour wines are made from our grapes:  full-bodied, fruity, very sophisticated and good to be aged the reds;  strongly flavoured and sweet the whites. And a good selection of Rosé  with their particular and delicate taste cannot miss as well!  The right choice to enjoy the rich, strong and unique taste and flavours of ourcuisine.

Today the DOC (litteraly translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin) wines are Cirò,  Bivongi,  Donnici, Greco di Bianco,  Lamezia,  Melissa,  Pollino, Sant’Anna Isola Capo Rizzuto,  San Vito di Luzzi,  Savuto,  Scavigna and Verbicaro.

All those are still produced according to the Greek method, and this is probably the secret of their success and unique flavour!

Start your inspiration of the longtime and rich Calabrian wine tradition!

Place: Cirò
Impression & Feelings: Gastronomy