The Land

The natural beauty of the Mediterranean is embraced in Cirò, which looks out to the Jonio Sea with the peaks of the Sila Mountain at its back. The Greeks chose the area in the 7th century B.C to consolidate the pre-existing winemaking of the Enotri peoples, who had reached the coasts of Southern Italy in the 9th century B.C.. The multifaceted landscape ranges from the sea promontory of Punta Alice, closing around the Gulf of Taranto, to the hills of Crucoli to the North and the village of Melissa to the South.  It is a steep climb to the surrounding highland plateaus overlooking the sea, with deep valleys formed by the Lipuda River and the other rivers that mark the land. Just a few kilometers from the coast the land reaches 300 meters above sea level – a characteristic of all the 800 km of coastline in Calabria.

 

The influence of the sea, the high hillsides and the constant ventilation alleviate the distinctively southern climate and allow for high quality winemaking.

The area of Cirò has the highest vine density per hectare in the region of Calabria. The DOC vineyards can be found from the coast up into the hinterland, mixed in with olive and citrus orchards and prickly pear cacti, until reaching the oak and chestnut trees of the mountains.