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Think of Calabria and what is the first thing that springs to mind? For me (a classic film buff) it is the Fellini film The Nights of Calabria. So you can imagine my surprise at an invitation to taste wines of Calabria recently in New York.

Now with Italy boasting over a thousand varieties of grapes, I should not have been surprised to learn of a new grape – Gaglioppo – which grows in this region of mainland Southern Italy (the toe of the boot). The region is compared to Abruzzo, as it is mostly mountains edged with beaches, which must provide an intriguing terroir.

As in the rest of Italy, Calabria’s wine classifications are DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), IGT, and VDT (Vino da Tavola). DOC is the highest classification, and for the most part “guarantees” quality at many levels, primarily in terms of the winery adhering to the mandates (maturation requirements, yields, etc.) set out by the standard. IGT is a new classification that reflects quality wine that does not necessarily adhere to mandates set out by the DOC. And VDT represents wines mostly meant for local consumption.

Calabria has twelve DOCs, 90% of which produce red wine. The main grapes are Gaglioppo and Greco Nero, and each DOC allows blending but with varying minimum and maximum amounts. During the tasting seminar, I had the opportunity to sample eight wines from different regions, and it was interesting to see the variation in the same basic varietal under the influence of blending with different grapes (both local and international), maturation in oak, and differences in soil and microclimate.

Now first and foremost on your mind as you read this may be the question, "What varietal does the Gaglioppo grape most resemble?" This is a good question. I do a lot of blind tasting, and whenever I taste a new varietal, I see if I can place it in the appropriate quadrant of the world. So on that note, had I tasted the wine blind I’m pretty sure I could have placed it in southern Italy. Why? When blind tasting I often have a knee-jerk reaction that signifies the wine could very well be Italian; for me, the triggers are the high acidity and the notes of cherry that take different forms in different regions, sometimes sour, sometimes black, sometimes firm and red, etc. However, any Master of Wine or Master Sommelier will tell you this can be dangerous. One should reason deductively, and not hazard a guess until the wine is thoroughly examined.

Listening to speaker Anthony Giglio was so compelling I did not have the opportunity to take extensive tasting notes. The Gaglioppo grape had a haunting aroma it took me over twenty minutes to place. Cherry, yes, yet not quite a fresh cherry. More of a candied cherry, yet not of the Smith Brothers cough drops ilk. Finally, I overheard someone elsewhere in the room say it: the cherry candy his grandmother kept in a little bowl on the coffee table. The kind where, upon unwrapping it and popping it into your mouth, you could chew on the jammy center.

So with this distinctive cherry aroma and character on the palate defining the majority of these red wines from Calabria, I’d say the major differences among them are the time and manner they spend in oak, the vintage (the 2004s were distinct from the 2005s and obviously the fruity young 2008), and the other grapes included if in a blend.

Statti Calabria IGT 2008 was an unoaked wine that had the nose and palate of cherry candy, fresh and fruity. The wine was 100% Gaglioppo in all its tart glory. Next in the journey toward complexity was the Librandi Ciro Rosso Riserva DOC, Duca San Felice 2005, with a candy nose and sour cherry fruit on the palate with a hint of anise. Ippolito 1845 Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva DOC Colli del Mancuso 2005 followed, with refreshingly high acidity and notable oak along with the theme of sour cherry.

Val di Neto Melissa Rosso Superiore DOC Mutro 2004 was a well-rounded wine; the 24 months of aging in stainless steel tanks and barriques followed by six months in bottle really did magic. Fattoria San Francesco Ciro Rosso Classico DOC Ronco dei Quattro Venti 2005 was 100% Gaglioppo and quite rich, having aged 12-13 months In French barriques. Tenuta Iuzzolini Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva DOC Maradea 2004 is aged for 8-10 months in barrique and another four months in bottles at controlled temperature, resulting in a very opulent and expressive wine.

Odoardi Scavigna DOC Vigna Garrone 2004 is interesting because of the adventurous blend: imagine 80% of the strong, somewhat rustic Gaglioppo grape with its pronounced cherry/raspberry accents blended with 10% Nerello Cappuccio, and 10% international varieties: 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Merlot.

The last wine, Terre di Balbia Calabria IGT SerraMonte 2005, was a blend of Gaglioppo, Magliocco, and Sangiovese that spends 18 months in barrique after malolactic fermentation, followed by 12 months in bottle. At $59, it was one of the most expensive and complex of the wines from Calabria we sampled.

All in all, it was a fantastic opportunity to taste this grape and, for an afternoon at least, experience the bounty of Calabria.

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