CIRÒ DOC
THE NAME: Cirò (Cheer-O)
Calabria has (surprise!) a long tradition of winemaking. If you’ve travelled in southern Italy, or perhaps have become a fan of the Neapolitan shoot-em up gangster show, Gomorrah, you may also recognize Ciro as a person’s name. The name “Ciro” means “of the Sun”, and most likely both spellings mean something similar, as the land of Cirò is sun baked and truly embodies the definition of “warm mediterranean.” While the names may have similar origins, the accent on the “o” means everything and as a native English speaker, it might be tough to distinguish the words. As a native Italian, of course, it would be easier, but I imagine the Calabrian named Ciro from Cirò must also experience some frustration.
THE HISTORY (and some other insight...)
If you read the short on Puglia, you then know southern Italy is part of the Magna Grecia, “Great Greece”, the biggest center for Greek trade and culture, outside of Greece itself—the term first appears in Ovid’s poem Fasti. The ancient Greeks had settlements throughout southern Italy, and their very present history is marked by temple ruins, entire uncovered cities, and of course, wine.
The Greeks called Calabria, “Enotria” which means “land of wine”. Many southern Italian grapes are of Greek origin and in fact, the white grape Greco literally means “Greek.” The wine of Cirò was once called, “Krimisa”, a Greek name derived from the Greek colony of Cremissa, which was once located in what is now the comune of Cirò Marina. “Krimisa” was the wine offered to the winning athletes of the Olympics.
As a tourist, especially on the happening Tyrhenninan coast of Calabria, the struggle of locals is hardly apparent. I myself am sucked in by its deep blue waters, turquoise shores, inexpensive (and lights out delicious) meals, and gelato for breakfast. My second encounter with Calabria, however, was as a wine professional turned harvest worker, and the difference in feeling from coast to coast is startling.
While southern Italy in general identifies as the forgotten child (pretty much from the onset of the country’s unification in 1860), Calabria really bears the brunt of this neglect. The difference is clear, even just from the western coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the eastern Ionic coast. It is not just visually apparent in the unfinished roads and buildings, but also in the vacant feeling that is left behind by the younger generations who escaped in the search for work and happiness— the air is just heavier here.
It is not yet a tourist destination and shows the undeniable signs of a place abandoned. Even walking in the hilltop town of Cirò, the art historian in me could not help but to take in the visuals as indicators of what is currently happening: the old part of town, made up of small abandoned dwellings, falling apart and not nearly large enough for a modern day human, starkly contrasted with the grandeur homes they sit beside made with money that seems...out of place? (organized crime still dominates Calabria). With such extremes existing side by side, the in-between is easy to miss. This in-between, however, is the most intriguing aspect and it tells a different story.
Visually, this in-between is the form of decrepit houses and apartments made from cement and stone. They are easy to pass by without much thought as they are seemingly abandoned on the bottom floor, but as you look up, you notice a new dwelling. This new construction is still made in stone, but painted and refreshed with plants growing in and around the walls. These cleaned up and revived homes that sit on top of the empty cement walls of the past represent the Cirò of the future. It is the generation that was encouraged to get the hell out, find a decent living abroad and to never come back. But they did come back. They came back because they believe in Cirò and the land, and because they believe in themselves. This unwavering dedication by a people told to leave but who instead turned all their knowledge, finances, and energy to fully embrace their home, is rebuilding Cirò back up from its ruins. Metaphorically, but also quite literally, as they reconstruct homes and buildings from old foundations.
Look no further for this wave of dedicated natives than to Cirò’s current winemakers, especially those that call themselves The Cirò Revolution.
THE REVOLUTION: Cirò is for Dreamers
Before I met the vignaioli (winemakers) of Cirò, I already knew I loved wine beyond just the pleasure of drinking it—I live for what it teaches me about people, place, and history. But never had I understood the true power of wine agriculture until I worked a harvest in Cirò. The vignaioli here have shown me that wine saves lives. It is an income, a direction, and a way of life. They are creating community amongst themselves, amongst the people of Cirò.
The founding and current producers of the Revolution are: A’ Vita, Sergio Arcuri, Cataldo Calabretta, Tenuta del Conte, Assunta dell’Aquila, Cote di Franze, Vigneti Vumbaca, and Francesco Fezzigna. All have the same goal in mind: showing the world the greatness of the Gaglioppo grape and the Cirò terroir. They began a microvinification project back in 2019, where they sourced Gaglioppo from different areas around Cirò and vinified the grapes separately and similarly, according to location. For them, the land comes first. They practice sustainable agriculture and/or are certified organic. In the case of Franceso de Franco and Laura Violino from ‘A Vita (which means, “the vines” in Calabrian), the wines are technically natural. While still have yet to come up with a definition of this term collectively as a wine industry, to me ‘A Vita is the epitome of natural wines: they are organic in the vineyards, and clean in the cellars. Incredibly clean. Constant washing and cleaning in addition to Francesco’s ever observant eye prove time and time again to produce such pure wines, full of the energy invested into them. Francesco and Laura do not add any additives to their wines, save a little SO2 (sulfur) at bottling (the trek to America is a long one. SO2, in micro quantities, is not necessarily your enemy). They don’t call their wines “natural” though, and that is because that is not how they want to market them— they are not a trend of clear bottles and crown caps. For them, it’s just how it’s done. It’s ‘A Vita.
At some point in my four month stay working the 2020 harvest, Francesco scrolled upon a wine review of his Cirò Rosso Classico Riserva on Instagram, in which the reviewer said, “great wine, but not sure how representative it is of territory.” Someone commented and asked, “what do you mean by territory?” the reviewer responded, “it reminds me more of a wine from the north of Italy.” Francesco read it outloud to me and we had a good laugh, because it captured so perfectly the current tension between those of the Revolution who know the potential of their wines vs. the rest of the world’s perception. Why did this reviewer think it wasn’t a wine of territory? Probably because the bulk of wine coming out of Calabria and Cirò is a mass produced product, manipulated to be a generic, basic wine, and that profile was what this person expected. Even still, in an age of Massagneti maps, research on soil compositions and vineyard exposures, a terroir driven wine is still the odd man out in Cirò. ‘A Vita and the Revolution’s wine IS of territory, to a point where it is almost unrecognizable, even among wine professionals.
The Cirò Revolution’s investment in territory translates to investment in community. These vignaioli extend their efforts beyond the vines, and make moves that really should be the city and government’s responsibility. Recently, they requested permission to restore and maintain an old fountain from the 1600s in the historical town of Cirò, funding for which will come from all their personal bank accounts. Laura and Francesco conduct school field trips to their vineyards where the kids learn about the vines, and the fundamentals of winemaking (so far, so good, the children have yet to draw the connection and ferment their juice boxes). The connection is clear: wine is cultural preservation, it is love of territory, it is an investment in the future. Ultimately, it is community, and the Cirò Revolution is living it everyday.
THE LAND
The weather in Cirò really plays games with the vines in that it bounces between extremities and the cultivars in Cirò have to be able to handle a weather gamble. It can get very hot and generally that can mean one of two things: the grapes develop their sugars faster than their other components resulting in wine that can be jammy and overly alcoholic. Or, in more extreme cases, the vine will go into heat stress and shut down completely and focus its efforts on survival rather than grape ripening.
The other extreme is the torrential downpours. Water in the springtime is essential, as it sets up the vine to survive the warm summer. Water in the late Summer/early Fall close to harvest time and all that effort to produce ripe, perfect berries is under siege, as water this late in the season can dilute the concentration of phenols, tannins, and acid—essentially watering down the grape and therefore, the wine. For such reasons, producers must make tough calls on when to harvest the grapes. At times, they may harvest the grapes before risking such water dilution, even if the grape hasn't reached full maturity. If you notice, many of these more artisanal Cirò wines are not all that high in alcohol, another indicator that it is a unique growing zone despite its classification as a warm mediterranean climate. Producers may struggle to make even the 12% minimum. This fact puts us in the vine heat stress category—the Gaglioppo grape used for Cirò Rosso wines is not a particularly drought resistant varietal.
Vineyard sites further inland can retain humidity and can cause the vines to suffer from “muffa nera”, black fungus, which is caused by Botrytis Cinerea. Gaglioppo is a tightly bunched varietal, which makes it all the more susceptible:the grapes cannot dry out easily in the wind/air due to their proximity to each other.
Along the coast, it is windy and drier so Botrytis really isn’t a problem, but vines here are more susceptible to oidium, powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Unicula Necator. Oidium is not quite as damaging as Botrytis, but can be depending on how much it takes over. It can really hinder a vine’s productivity:grapes can be small and not fully developed, or the vine itself may not produce enough fruit.
In the end, like any wine region, Cirò comes with its challenges. Making terroir driven wines with little manipulation in the wine cellar and wine making process is not an easy feat.
THE SOILS & THE CRU
The Cirò DOC is in 4 communes: Melissa, Cirò, Cirò Marina, and Crucoli—all in the province of Crotone. However, the Classico subzone is only in the communes of Cirò and Cirò Marina. Vineyards range from about sea level up to 550m asl. There are 5 distinct soil/ terroir areas and within these areas, various cru. The exposition, altitude, and proximity to the sea change as does the soil composition in all these cru*.
The ARSSA publication, “Carta delle Sottozone Comprensorio DOC Cirò”, identifies Zones according to soil types. With the help of Franceso De Franco, I have chosen present them as follows:
*Much of southern Italy applies the term contrada (contrade for plural) in lieu of the French term, cru. The Vignaioli of Cirò, however, tend to use cru.
Pianure Argillose (Clay Plains)
Low in elevation, practically sea level vineyards. The area along the coast has high clay concentration as well as organic matter, which means they are more fertile.
Cru: Fego, Piciara, Valle di Casa, Frassa’, Feduraro
Terre Rosse (Red Earth)
Iron rich, calcareous clay, with up to 60 meters above sea level.
Cru: Piane de Franze, Fatago’, Frannina, Volvito, Ferraina
Pianura Alluvionale (Alluvial Plains)
Hillside, along the River Lipuda. Lower Elevation parts of the hills that are closer to the Lipuda riverbed zones. The actual river itself is dry during the warm months and is only full during the heavy rains during the winter months. Closer to the river, the soils are predominantly alluvial deposits. Higher up in the hillside, more calcareous-clay.
Cru: Marinetto*, Ponta, Vecchio, Vallo*
Colline
Further from the river bed, the more calcareous and clay-like the soils become. Flooding is a risk everywhere in Crotone, but the hill sites are much more prone to erosion. So much so that there is a need to oxygenate the soils because of all the water retention. Vineyard workers, which in Cirò’s case, are the winemakers themselves), will dig canals with hopes to better channel the water.
Colline South Exposition
A southern facing vineyard in the Northern Hemisphere faces the equator, which means they receive more daylight and heat.
Cru: Cropia, Carcarelle, Vallo, Monaco, Santa Anatasia, Corficello, Corfo, Sant’Andrea, Brigante, Carroccello (highest in altitude, 300 e 350m), Santa Venere, Mortidda,
Colline North Exposition
Hills that face away from the equator. Less daylight and less warmth, which in times of extreme heat and drought, may actually benefit the vines.
Cru: Novele, Muzzunetto, Prachetto, Donnuciccio, Tagliata, Manca S. Francesco,
Mancuso Timpa Janca
Punta Alice/Terre Sabbiose (Sandy Terrain)
Punta Alice is the name of the point. It is the furthest jutted out point of Crotone where soils are predominantly loose sand and clay. Low elevation, almost sea level vineyards.
Cru: Difesa, Trapano (more clay in this cru than Difesa )
*These Cru have areas that extend into the colline classification
Within these areas, winemakers have various vineyards or plots of land. The vignaioli, however, reference their cru rather than individually naming their vineyard sites. So for example, ‘A Vita’s vineyards in Santa Anastasia would be referenced as Santa Anatasia di ‘A Vita.
The vignaioli (winemakers) of the Cirò Revolution have been hard at work to understand the distinctions between these cru. They have spent the last 2 years picking and vinifying grapes from the various areas separately in order to evaluate how the terroir affects the wine. So far, this information has not yet left Calabria, but Cittavino & Co. has plans to get down there and bring you back the informational goods.
The Grapes and Wine Labelling
Cirò’s main red grape is Gaglioppo. It is said to be Greek in origin and share some genetic relationship to Sangiovese.Tasting the wines, the Sangiovese relationship does not seem all that off, as the varieties do share similarities in their red fruits and earthiness. Gaglioppo is a tight-bunched varietal, which makes it more susceptible to fungal diseases in areas where there is a high concentration of humidity (the tighter the bunch, the less air circulation between grapes). Magliocco is the runner up in red varieties.
Greco Bianco is the main white variety of Ciro’. According to the the extensive research by the Librandi winery, Greco Bianco is identical to Guardavalle. DNA testing also concludes that the Greco Bianco used in the Calabrian wine appellation, Greco di Bianco, is identical to Malvasia delle Lipari. This finding and terminology is incredibly confusing. In fact, Calabrian varieties are perhaps the most confusing in Italy because each variety changes name according to a town or micro location, despite them being the exact same variety (see Mantonico below). Also, of course there has to a town in Calabria called Bianco, further confusing the matter. The “di” means from, “di Bianco” = “from Bianco”. Does this finding mean Malsvasia dell Lipari is identical to Guardavalle? Truthfully, I am not sure, but my hunch is that the Greco Bianco/Malvasia delle Lipari is specific to the town of Bianco and Guardavalle is its own beast, specific to Cirò. More than likely, however, is that these grapes ended up co-planted and some Malvasia delle Lipari found its way into Ciro’ vineyards under the guise of Greco Bianco/Guardavalle. Therefore, there are probably vineyards all seemingly planted to “Greco Bianco” but are indeed, mixed. Until there is more incentive for genetic testing on individual vineyeards, we’ll just have to use our taste buds and guess.
The white grapes of Mantonico and Pecorello come in as more minor, yet equally interesting native varieties.
Despite Cirò’s warm mediterranean climate, you may find it surprising that grape maturity is not an easy thing to achieve in the vineyards with both Gaglioppo and Greco. There are hot growing areas in other places of the world where the vines can support such heat, and perhaps that is because the vines are well adapted to hot and dry weather, such as Syrah and Grenache. Gaglioppo really is not a drought resistant varietal like the aforementioned and the vine can go into stress and shut down. If this happens, it will concentrate on just survival, and the result can be uneven grape maturation-the grape may develop its sugars, but it will not have developed its phenols (flavors) or its skins (tannin and color) and acid. Acid preservation in warm weather is tough. Without reprieves from the heat, acid levels in grapes will drastically drop.
Speaking about native Italian grapes is difficult in any region, but I find Calabria to be particularly tough. Much confusion of what’s what comes from the localization of a cultivar/grape vine. That is, in these more isolated, rural areas, there isn’t much communication about who’s growing what. So while an area on the Tyrhennian coast of Calabria grows a grape called “Greco Nero”, another on the Ionian side might grow a “Magliocco Dolce”, all the while, the two grapes are genetically the same. Adding the Italian conviction to the topic, and despite the money poured into the genetic research to prove that these two varieties are genetically the same, most refuse to accept it as so.
One of my favorite examples that really highlights the tangle between localities, genetic testing, and the “testa dura” (hard head, stubborn), is the Mantonico grape. While most agree Mantonico is Mantonico (it doesn’t come with as many synonyms as other cultivars), in the Pollino mountains of Calabria, there is a “Mantonico Bianco '' which is actually Greco Bianco which is actually Guardavalle (according to the research done by Librandi). Confused? So were the folks in Locride, Calabria, who decided to confidently call their Mantonico, “Mantonico Vero”, which means the “Real Mantonico.”
Cirò has a few sub-labelling options:
Classico
Classico Superiore
Classico Superiore Riserva
Superiore
Superiore Riserva
Classico wines are a subzone and refers to the historic wine production area. It can only be made from grapes in Ciro’ and Ciro’ Marina. The Superiore refers to higher alcohol content (13.5% compared to 12.5%) and the Riserva in all labels refers to an aged wine, though the requirements for aging are unclear.
Cirò Rosso and Cirò Rosso Classico
At least 80% Gaglioppo, with up to 20% of other allowed red grapes.
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Barbera, and Sangiovese may make up 10% of the blend. Adding international varietals and grapes not native to Calabria is a point of contention among those of the Revolution and those who make bulk wine. The Cirò Revolution would like to see the percentage of Gaglioppo higher and the permission to blend only native grapes, such as Magliocco. The artisanal producers will either produce Cirò from 100% Gaglioppo or close to 100% with some native red varieties.
Cirò Bianco at least 11% abv
At least 80% Greco Bianco
Cirò Rosato at least 12.5% abv
Same requirements as a Rosso Classico, just with a shorter maceration time on the skins to make a rosé as opposed to a red
Native Grapes (the most notable)
Gaglioppo
Magliocco Canino—a distinct, loose bunched variety.
Magliocco Dolce (Greco Nero), also referred to as: Arvino, Guarnaccia Nera, Lacrima
Malvasia di Lipari (Greco di Bianco)
Guardavalle/ Greco Bianco--in Rogliano, they call their Greco Bianco, “Pecorello”, which is actually another distinct varietal, so here we go again — but the official name is indeed, Guardavalle
Pecorello
Mantonico (but is it the “Real Mantonico”?)
