Join us for our weekly wine flights every Friday 4 - 8pm. Taste 5 wines for $16 with an addition 3 pours for purchase.
The Flight 4 -8pm $16 for 5 pours
Historically, Calabria has not had an easy time of it. Bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian to the east, with the Strait of Messina narrowly separating the region from Sicily, Calabria was a favorite for settlers and conquerors from the 8th century BC until just about 150 years ago. The oppressive feudal system that lasted until the 19th century, combined with devastating earthquakes, periods of mass exodus, and peasant revolts, has held Calabria back for centuries.
Production isn’t large: Calabria makes just 4.9 million cases of wine per year (compared to nearby Sicily’s 69 million cases) and a mere fraction of that wine makes its way to export markets.
Calabria has only dabbled in international grape varieties, but it never had Sicily’s Syrah moment; the island’s success with that grape in the ’80s and ’90s paved the way for discovery of Nero d’Avola and Carricante. The closest it came was when Librandi, Calabria’s best-known winery, turned heads with Gravello, a Gaglioppo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, which won the region’s first Tre Bicchieri award.
Ippolito 2025 Cirò Bianco "Mare Chiaro" $19 - Cirò has a decent claim to being the oldest wine still in production anywhere — the Greeks were pressing it on this stretch of Calabria's Ionian coast in antiquity, and it was reputedly poured for Olympic victors. Cantine Ippolito, founded in 1845 at Cirò Marina and still the oldest winery in Calabria. On the nose, you'll be greeted by evocative notes of tropical fruit, pear, and peach, while the palate will surprise you with its minerality and a slight salinity that evokes the sea breeze.
Ippolito 2024 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore "Liber Pater” $17 - This ruby red wine is 100% Gaglioppo, a delicious and ancient grape native to Calabria. "Liber Pater" Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore DOC, an ode to the Italic god of wine and vineyards, is intoxicating with complex aromas of wild berries, violets, and spices.
Scala DOC Ciró Rosso Classico 2023 $23 - A gorgeously drinkable Italian red wine that could be accurately described as tasting like a more rustic Nebbiolo from southern Italy. Wild strawberry and ripe raspberry aromas intermingle with fruit leather, sweet spices, Mediterranean scrub, and sea breezes. On the palate, the fruit components largely match the aromas found in the glass, with tart, bright red fruit opening the palate, then moving into more developed earthy, spicy, Mediterranean-herb-esque flavors, and finishing on a wave of saline minerality.
Ippolito 2024 Rosso "Calabrise" $20 - Calabrise, Calabria IGT Rosso, offered here by Ippolito 1845, is a fresh and fragrant wine made from 100% Calabrian grapes. The harvest, strictly manual, takes place quite late in the year, even at the beginning of October. The grapes, delivered early to the cellar to be processed, undergo a long pre-fermentation maceration to best extract colour and aromas.
Cerminara Cirò Rosso DOC 2021 $27 - Smoky wild strawberry and a hint of red vermouth. Succulent and yet firmly structured with mouth-filling, powdery tannins. Very long and succulent and tannic. Tactile fireworks.
Ippolito 2020 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva 'Colli del Mancuso’ $30 - With a bright ruby red color, this Cirò Rosso DOC presents a frank, direct bouquet, where ripe red fruits and wild berry notes emerge, accompanied by balsamic hints and light spicy nuances. On the nose there are also earthy tones and a touch of black pepper, without excess; the whole remains clean and focused, with good definition of the aromas that invites tasting.
Sergio Acuri “Liberaisensi” 2025, IGP Calabria, Greco Bianco $32 - Pear, apple and bright minerality with a touch of saline. Intense and vibrant.
Sergio Arcuri “Aris” 2021 DOC Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva $37 - There’s real fruit and juiciness here, which is something few achieve with Gaglioppo, but the grape’s signature aromas of terracotta, dried strawberry, spiced cherry, sweet leather and membrillo are still present. The grainy, textured tannins indicate this will continue to develop well in bottle.
Vino Wine Flights Every Friday 4 - 8pm