Italy is full of surprises and contradictions, and on a recent visit, Calabria did not disappoint. I had never been to the toe of Italy before and was quite unprepared for the extraordinary wealth of original and indigenous grape varieties such as magliocco, nerello, gaglioppo, mantonico, pecorello, greco bianco. Calabria also abounds with little-known and pretty irrelevant DOCs -- their creation has obviously been a sop to local political interests -- but there is now a plan afoot to incorporate several of them into the larger Terre di Cosenza. Whether that will actually happen is another matter. However, the principal DOC of Calabria, and the most important wine with any chance of acquiring an international reputation, is undoubtedly Cirò; the white comes from greco bianco and the red and rosato from gaglioppo.

Cirò's quality is improving

A tasting with Francesco Siciliani provided my introduction to Cirò. His best red is Cirò Classico, from gaglioppo alone. Siciliani, who has been bottling wine since 1985, explained how the winemaking has improved. Twenty years or so ago, the juice spent only three or four days on the skins; nowadays the maceration lasts at least 18 days. Gaglioppo oxides easily and is already quite tannic, so there is no tradition for aging it in wood, not even in large botti. Traditionally, the growers used concrete vats, or nowadays more modern cellars, such as Siciliani's, have stainless steel vats. Gaglioppo, like pinot noir, does not have a lot of color, and there is a suggestion that the taste of the two grapes is comparable too. You can find slightly vegetal notes on the nose, with some rounded perfumed fruit, cherries and liquorice on the palate, balancing a dry tannic streak.

Raffaele Librandi, whose family company is the biggest producer of Cirò, provided further insights. He explained how his grandfather had begun with just three hectares (seven acres) in the 1950s; the family estate had grown to 40 hectares (98 ares) by 1997, and now totals 232 hectares (573 acres) of vines, as well as extensive olive groves. First we went to see the vineyards at Azienda Rosaneti near the village of Rocca di Neto. Librandi explained they have identified 154 different indigenous varieties in Calabria, which have been simplified to 70 different strains, identified by DNA. The ancient Greeks had brought dried grapes to the region and planted the pips, and vines grown from grape pips will apparently transmute slightly, so that among the 154 varieties, there are some that are so similar to be almost identical. At Rosaneti, Librandi has 160 hectares (395 acres) of vines, as well as 80 hectares (197 acres) of olive trees, mainly of magliocco and gaglioppo, as well as some greco and chardonnay. They also have some vineyards near the sea. The harvest takes over two months -- chardonnay ripens early and the indigenous varieties are not ready for picking until the middle of October.

Appealing to a worldwide audience

Librandi had experimented with international varieties in the 1980s, which do remain in their vineyards, not only chardonnay, but also cabernet franc which is blended with gaglioppo for a rosato, Terre Lontane. They also have cabernet sauvignon, which features in Gravello an IGT Val de Neto, blended with 60 percent gaglioppo. This was the very first wine that they put into barriques, for the 1988 vintage, and the wine on which they built their reputation. The current 2009 vintage has quite a firm nose, with some rounded cassis fruit and well-integrated oak, with a tannic streak. You could see its appeal to an international market. As Librandi observed: "It put us on the map and made everything else possible."

Siciliani and Librandi are adamant that Cirò should be made from the original indigenous grape variety, gaglioppo. Consequently, I was horrified to hear that the winegrowers' consorzio of Cirò has allowed the inclusion of 10 percent of international varieties such as merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the misguided belief that the wines will sell better. Sales abroad are small, and they believe that it is because the wines are "too Calabrian."

Have you ever heard such nonsense? Italy has a wealth of wonderfully original grape varieties -- that is part of its charm -- and one of the astonishing things about those of Calabria is that despite the summer heat, these varieties perform very well. They do not suffer from the scorching summer temperatures; they ripen late, almost closing down during the summer; and their wines are not excessively high in alcohol, nor lacking acidity. Indeed I was surprised by the elegance of Cirò, compared with other hot climate wines. It should be enjoyed for its originality, along with some of the delicious cuisine of Calabria, featuring peperoncino and wonderful spicy sausages, as well as fish dishes and local cheeses.

Zester Daily contributor Rosemary George was one of the first women to become a Master of Wine in 1979. She has been a freelance wine writer since 1981 and is the author of 11 books. She contributes to various magazines and also writes a blog on the Languedoc region.

Photo: A vineyard in Calabria. Credit: Rosemary George

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Librandi's Ciro rosato is one of my favorite summertime beverages--it has strength and great character for a rose and yet is just light enough to be refreshing on a hot day. Nice to hear more about this fascinating wine region.
Nancy Jenkins

a guest , September 27, 2011