CALABRIA
06 Feb 2023
The ancient Greeks knew Calabria as Enotria, "Land of wine", and Calabrian wines were offered as a prize to the winners of the Olympics. In more recent times, the phylloxera epidemic has given a severe blow to Calabrian viticulture, in fact for many years Calabrian wines have been relegated as blending wines, and it is only in recent years, thanks to the stubbornness of many local winemakers, that the quality level has risen considerably. The total annual production of wine is around 368,000 hectoliters of which DOP wines represent 43%, IGP wines 34.6%. The production is mostly concentrated on red and rosé wines (75%), while white wines represent 25% of the production. In Calabria mainly black grape varieties are grown, among which the most famous and widespread is Gaglioppo, followed by Magliocco canino, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Greco Nero and the Calabrese (Nero d'Avola). The black grape varieties represent about 80% of the total production. The Calabrian white grape varieties are Greco Bianco, Trebbiano Toscano, Montonico and Guernaccia. The Denominations of Origin for wine in Calabria are counted on 9 DOC and 10 IGT. In the province of Cosenza we find the areas of Pollino and Verbicaro, once autonomous DOCs and now incorporated in the Terre di Cosenza DOC. Further south, in the province of Crotone, we find the area of Cirò (Cirò DOC), Savuto (Savuto DOC) and Val di Neto (VaI di Neto IGT). In these areas, characterised by important red wines, the aforementioned Gaglioppo stands out among the native vines. In the extreme south, in the Reggio di Calabria area, we find the Greco di Bianco DOC, a well-known dessert wine, and the Costa Viola IGT. In Calabria there are 12 between DOP and IGP for agri-food products.
Tags: