The best wines of Calabria: Explore the fine wines of Calabria: authentic flavours at affordable prices!

Calabria, in recent years, has been gaining more prominence in the national wine scene. The production of Calabrian wines is characterized by an excellent value for money closely linked to the territory. It is no coincidence that Calabria holds an ancient local wine tradition that stands out for a strong personality. Indeed, this region manages to assert itself in the diverse Italian wine landscape thanks to autochthonous grape varieties such as Magliocco and Gaglioppo combined with the passion and hard work of many producers who are investing heavily in this fertile land. xtraWine offers some of the best red and white wines from Calabria, among which you can choose. Among the Calabrian red wines, a prominent place is reserved for the famous Cirò DOC, which stands out for its freshness and a savory taste that can conquer your palate with every sip. Moreover, it is easily paired with meat and fish dishes, as it is made from the famous Gaglioppo grape, which is the basis of almost all Calabrian red wines. Another easily pairable red wine is made from another famous grape, the Magliocco Canino, which is obtained from grapes from Cosenza and characterized by an intense aroma of red fruit with a hint of spicy notes. Not only red wines, but on xtraWine you can also find numerous Calabrian white wines belonging to grape varieties such as Montonico Bianco, Pecorello, and Greco Bianco, which stand out for a strong aroma given by fruity notes. All the labels offered belong to important producers such as Librandi, Spiriti Ebbri, and Ippolito 1845, who have also received awards from Gambero Rosso. To buy the best wines from Calabria, visit xtraWine.com.

History and Territory

The origins of Calabria wine date back to ancient times. This region was part of ancient Enotria, an area comprising Calabria, Basilicata and Campania, inhabited since the 11th century BC by peoples of Indo-European origin, probably from Greece. Enotria derives from the Greek word οἶνος, wine, underlining the ancient wine vocation of this area. During the Greek migrations in the 8th century B.C., the city of Krimisa, today's Cirò, was founded, as well as many other trading ports along the Calabrian coast, including Sibari, Crotone, Locri and Metauros. The Greek colonists enriched the local customs related to vine cultivation with their knowledge and experience in the field of viticulture, which is still used today in all Mediterranean countries with hot and dry climates. The tradition of wine-growing spread even in Roman times, surviving in later centuries in monasteries, where vines were cultivated for liturgical use, and in the countryside with wine-making in ancient wine-presses dug into the rock. After the crisis at the end of the 19th century, caused by phylloxera, Calabria renewed its vineyards with American vine rootstocks. Unlike other Italian regions, Calabria maintained its ancient autochthonous vines, remaining faithful to tradition.

The indigenous grape varieties of Calabria

Calabria has a vast heritage of indigenous grape varieties, still cultivated today to make the most important regional wines. Among the white grapes, Mantonico, which produces intense and long-lived wines, Greco di Bianco, used for passito wines, Pecorello bianco, Guarnaccia bianca, Malvasia and Guardavalle stand out. Red grapes include Gaglioppo, from which the famous Cirò Rosso derives, and other grapes such as Magliocco, Magliocco Canino, Greco Nero, Nerello and Castiglione. The Librandi winery is conducting valuable research into ancient varieties in the old vineyards and a selection of Gaglioppo clones to complete the ampelographic panorama.

Calabrian wines

Calabrian wine, famous for its excellent quality since ancient times, has experienced a real renaissance in recent decades. In the past, it was sold loose to be used as a blending wine, but today the situation has changed. Many wineries bottle the wine directly and, thanks to agronomic improvements and shrewd choices, high quality grapes are obtained to produce great wines. Calabria has achieved important goals, but still has room for improvement, which will allow it to progress in the near future.

Discover the best Calabrian wines on xtraWine! Whites, reds, passiti: a range of excellent wines, with an excellent quality-price ratio. A millenary tradition that has preserved autochthonous vines with extraordinary qualities, yet to be enhanced. Choose your favourite wines and receive them safely and conveniently at home.

Calabria

Country name	Italy
History	In ancient times, Calabria was inhabited by the population of Bruzi. It was later occupied by the Greeks who called it Betia. Later the Romans turned it into Bruttium. The Calabrian people, however, was located in the area of Apulia, in the current Salento Peninsula that was formerly known as Calabria. In the following centuries, this region experienced several changes in its name, but the ancient area of Bruttium was already called Calabria during the Charlesmagne period.
Perc hill	49
Perc mountain	42
Perc plain	9
Soil and climate	The climate is Mediterranean along the coasts, with mild and rainy winters and hot and dry summers. Ventilation is moderate and temperature changes are not significant. The inland has rigid winters and warm summers. The Sila area is characterised by a continental climate and, in winter, snowfalls are common as well as abundant rains, especially on the Tyrrhenian Sea side. On the other hand, rains are considerably low on the plains and on the coasts.
Surface area	15081
Typical dishes	Calabria is famous for horticultural and agricultural products, such as onions, with the well-know Cipolla di Tropea, aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, beans, pumpkins, mushrooms and citrus fruits. Olives and extra virgin olive oil play an important role for agriculture, for example the DOP Bruzio, Lametia and Alto Crotonese. Calabria is also famous for its pasta dishes, such as the Maccaruni, a handmade pasta seasoned with meat and tomato sauce or with grated ricotta cheese, the Scivateddi, a long pasta similar to spaghetti served with pork sauce and salted/smoked ricotta cheese or aubergines, Vermicelli c’à muddica, a pasta garnished with grated bread served in an earthenware pot with anchovies and oil. Among the desserts there are the Mostaccioli, made with flour mixed with honey and white wine in the shape of fish, human figures, little horses, and the Pitta 'nchiusa, a sweet two-layer pizza, stuffed with a filling of sultanas, walnuts and cooked wine.
Typical products	In the Crimisa area, it is produced the red and rosato Cirò, which is one of the eight DOC wines of Calabria. This wine is made from from the black vine Gaglioppo, and the Greco Bianco. Librandi is one of the best producers of Cirò Classico. From the south of Calabria, it comes Greco di Bianco, a straw wine. In the area of Catanzaro, a number of local vines such as Nocera, Calabrese, Pecorino and Magliocco are grown, which provide fruity and aromatic wines.