Librandi | Kalabrien

For a long time, talking about Calabria's viticulture meant talking about a single winery: Librandi. But in the meantime there are more and more thoroughly working winegrowers, who produce high quality wines typical for the region and rely above all on antique native grape varieties. We can thank Nicodemo Librandi for this. He revived the most important of these grape varieties - such as Gaglioppo, Magliocco and Mantonica - and as a pioneer showed other winegrowers the high quality of these grapes. The beautiful Librandi winery, situated in Ciró Marina near the Punta Alice holiday resort on the Ionian coast, has been family-owned for four generations and is now managed by Teresa and Francesco and their cousins Paolo and Raffaele after the early death of its founder Tonino Librandi. The combination of mild Mediterranean temperatures and a strong breeze from the mountains creates a microclimate that gives the wines of the Winzerquartett unique notes, aromas and fragrances.

In the wine house, which has been converted into a large modern agricultural enterprise with a lot of money and time spent, great importance is attached to a harmonious balance between tradition and innovation. Numerous awards attest to the success achieved with this philosophy by the pearl of Calabria's viticulture, which has become a fixed benchmark for the winegrowers of southern Italy. In the municipalities of Cirò and the neighbouring villages of Strongoli, Casabona and Rocca di Neto, and in Cirò Marina, but also in the vineyards of Crucoli and Melissa in the province of Messina, many autochthonous varieties that are almost extinct thrive under the careful care of the agronomist Davide De Santis. The grapes are then vinified in the cellar under the expert supervision of Donato Lanati, professor of oenology in Turin and Florence, to produce reliable, original and elegant creations. The most important wines of the wide range are still produced from the local Gaglioppo vine.

Librandi runs several experimental vineyards in which ancient Calabrian grape varieties are cultivated. In order to produce fine wines with the authentic character of their terroir, the best clones have been carefully selected by the family under the leadership of Nicodemo and Tonino. In addition, the two wine enthusiasts patiently carried out microvinifications and meticulously evaluated them. Fashion trends and methods leading to rapid success, on the other hand, were completely disregarded in their research activities. SUPERIORE.DE