The first documents on viticulture in the region date back to around the year 1000, but Calabria was known since the ancient Greeks with the name of Enotria, land of wine, and its wines were offered to the athletes of the Olympics as a prize. Calabria has unique conditions for viticulture, which occupies about 10,000 hectares of its territory, and which is practiced mostly in the hills (50%) or in the mountains (42%), despite this region being surrounded by two seas. The history of viticulture in Calabria was abruptly interrupted due to phylloxera and only recovered after the war, with the reconstruction of the Calabrian viticultural heritage. The real rebirth of the wine culture in this region is however much more recent, thanks to the tenacity of Calabrian winemakers who have been able to bring out and make known the best of this region, with a total of 10 DOC and 10 IGT.

Discover the authenticity of Calabrian red wines

Calabrian red wine represents 80% of all production: the most cultivated grapes in Calabria are in fact black and autochthonous. The most famous are Gaglioppo, the undisputed protagonist of the red Cirò Doc and also of the Rosato Cirò Doc, the Nerello Mascalese, the Nerello Cappuccio and the Greco Nero. Of considerable interest, even if with minor productions, is the Magliocco Canino, widespread in the Terre of Cosenza DOC. In general, all the reds of this region share an intense color, a powerful structure and fruity aromas of blackberry, red fruit in general and spices. They are wines that maintain a typicality and an authenticity that divide them from the reds obtained from international grapes, and make this wine region unique in its kind.

Calabrian white wine: small but high quality productions

The white grape varieties represent only 20% of the entire production and the most cultivated are the Greco Bianco, Trebbiano Toscano, Montonico and Guernaccia. The best areas in which white wines are obtained in Calabria are the areas around Cosenza, where the intense temperature variations in the vineyards that reach 800 meters in altitude, give elegant and fragrant white wines. The Costa dei Gelsomini, on the other hand, is the cradle par excellence of the historian Greco di Bianco, who finds the ideal conditions for its development and gives life to exciting whites and a passito wine that will delight enthusiasts.

What is the best Calabrian wine?

Calabria has many interesting producers, including Librandi, Ceraudo and Luigi Viola, who received the Tre Bicchieri Gambero Rosso respectively for the San Felice Cirò Riserva, the Moscato Passito 2018 and the Grisara Pecorello 2018. Great results for this region also in the Vitae guide of the AIS, with wines awarded with the prestigious 4 grapes such as Benvenuto Orange by Cantine Benvenuto and Magliocco 2019 by Lento, as well as another great wine from Librandi, Terre Lontane.

What are the most famous names of Calabrian wines?

Calabrian wines, as happens in other areas, have the names of the grapes such as Gaglioppo or the names relating to the designation of origin where they are born, such as Cirò, Cosenza etc. Among the labels there is no shortage of fancy names such as Madre Goccia, Solenero and Bacche Rosa

What are the Calabrian DOCG wines?

In Calabria there are no Calabrian DOCG red wines: in fact in this region there are no controlled and guaranteed denomination wines but on the other hand there are 10 different DOCs and even 10 IGTs.