Calabria

History

The Greeks called the peoples inhabiting these lands Enotri, for their care and skill in the cultivation of the vine. The Greeks helped improve growing methods, and Calabrian towns such as Sibari, Crotone, and Locri were areas of great wine production. The first DOC was Cirò in 1969, followed by Donnici, Pollino and Savuto in 1975 and others.

Territory

Unfortunately, grapevines find little space in the region. Grapes account for only 3% of the total agricultural products coming from the region, with about 25,000 hectares of vineyards. The terrain is 42% mountainous, 50% hilly, and 8% flat. The climate is Mediterranean and influenced by the Thyrrenean and the Ionian seas. Differently from the mainstream Mediterranean weather, the Sila mountainous area presents continental weather patterns. Rainfall is abundant in the interior and very scarce in the lowlands and on the coast. For many years Calabria has provided blending wines for both Italian and foreign manufacturers, since neutral wines of intense color and high alcohol characterized its production content. More recently the situation has changed for the better and the region can boast many good, ever-improving wines. The most cultivated vine is Gaglioppo, present in most red wines of Calabria. Other red varieties include: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Magliocco Canino, Nocera e Greco Nero.

The most common white grapes in the region are: Greco Bianco, Guarnaccia, Malvasia Bianca, Trebbiano To- scano and Mantonico. In the Cosenza province we find the areas of Pollino and Verbicaro, once autonomous DOC and now incorporated in the Terre di Cosenza DOC. Further South, in the Crotone province, important areas include Ciro (DOC), Savuto (DOC) and Val di Neto (IGT). In these areas, Gaglioppo is usually the main red grape used. In the far south, in the Reggio Calabria province, we find Greco di Bianco DOC, a very interesting dessert wine produced in the town of Bianco from Greco Bianco grapes.