The Caparra and Siciliani families, both of which have winemaking roots in Calabria since the 1800s, joined forces in 1963 to create one of the Cirò region’s most iconic wineries. They draw upon more than 200 hectares of vineyards for their wines. Crafted from 100% Gaglioppo and aged in large oak vats called ‘botti,’ this is a textbook example of Cirò: light-colored, spicy, high in acid, and earthy, with a warm, slightly jammy quality to its fruit profile. The town of Cirò, which lends its name to the wine appellation (DOC) in and around it, sits in a little crook along Calabria’s Ionian coastline. It was one of the original Greek settlements in southern Italy and the site of the earliest Olympic games—where an ancient version of Cirò wine was given to the winners as a prize. Soils are sandy clays with some limestone and the climate is arid and hot.

In the glass, light crimson with orange reflections at the rim. Aromas of red currant, orange peel, scrub-brush, tomato leaf, baking spices, and a deeper, cherry kirsch sweetness. Plush and warm, but also light and bright on the palate; reminiscent of Barolo but much lighter, with softer tannins. Cirò is typically high in acid but relatively low in tannin and medium-bodied; it has some of the tomato-leaf aromatics found in Tuscan Sangiovese (to which Gaglioppo is related), so pizza and southern Italian-style baked pastas with tomato are good options. The soft tannic profile means they can handle a little heat, too (chiles factor prominently in Calabrian cooking). Cooler service temperature recommended!