Cirò, pronounced CHI-roh, is a historical town which gives its name to a DOC for red, white and pink wines made in the Crotone province of Calabria, close to the Ionian coast at the toe of the Italian boot.
The Greeks who began colonising the region in the 8th century BC named the area ‘Oenotria’, and the locals ‘Italoi’. By the time of the Romanisation of southern Italy in the 2nd century BC, ‘Italoi’ had become the term to describe all local people in the south of the peninsula, eventually encapsulating those in the north too, giving us the foundations of the modern name, Italy.
Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Spanish, French and Italian hegemonies all shaped the region of Calabria in the following centuries, but Cirò remained largely feudal in structure until relatively recently, only modernising after World War II due to radical government land reforms.
In 1952, the coastal settlement of Cirò Marina was created, attracting the peasant class away from the historical hill town of Cirò, located in the foothills of the Sila mountain range, which, as noted in Cirò, Cirò Marina: Storia, Cultura, Economica (Rubbetino, 1997), had traditionally been a haven against pirates and malaria.
Cirò DOC
Cirò and Cirò Marina today form the heartland of Cirò DOC, which has the largest production by volume of any DOC in Calabria.
The DOC was created in 1969, encompassing Cirò, Cirò Marina, Melissa and Crucoli. Wines made only from vineyards in Cirò and Cirò Marina are entitled to the Classico designation.
Wines must be a minimum of 11% for Cirò Bianco DOC and 12.5% for Cirò Rosso and Rosato DOC.
Wines of DOC status of 13.5% or more may be classified as Superiore, and wines of 13.5% or more which are aged for a minimum of two years may be classified as Superiore Riserva.
Cirò Classico has been approved for elevation to DOCG status since autumn 2023, which will make it Calabria’s first DOCG.
Area Cirò DOC 1,500ha; Cirò Classico DOC 500ha
Wineries 65, with 300 winegrowers in the Consorzio
Production 31,550hl (five-year average) – approx. 4 million bottles/year
Plantings 50% Gaglioppo, 30% Greco Bianco, 20% other varieties
Production 40% red, 30% white, 30% rosé
Cirò Bianco DOC: Minimum 80% Greco Bianco plus 20% other authorised grape varieties
Cirò Rosso/Rosato DOC: Minimum 80% Gaglioppo plus 20% other authorised grape varieties, of which only 10% may be Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Sangiovese.
The climate of Cirò DOC is Mediterranean, with long, warm summers and mild, wet winters. The region has low rainfall and both the Sirocco and Tramontane winds assist in creating dry conditions, helping to combat vine diseases such as downy and powdery mildew.
Proximity to the sea helps to moderate the heat of the summer, and harvest typically lasts from late September into October.
The two most important grape varieties are Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco. Other varieties including Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese are also permitted in small quantities.
Gaglioppo
Gaglioppo is the foundation of both Cirò Rosso DOC and Cirò Rosato DOC. It has thin skins but marked acidity and chewy tannins that require ageing to soften. It is often pale and orange-tinged in the glass, spicy and aromatic on the nose, encouraging comparisons with the Nebbiolo of Barolo.
Genetically, Gaglioppo is descended from Sangiovese, perhaps emerging as a natural crossing between Sangiovese and Mantonico. According to Ian d’Agata in Native wine grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014), ‘This means that Gaglioppo and Frappato are most likely siblings.’
The wines can have a dried fruit, leather and savoury character even when matured in concrete or steel. Some of the most interesting examples of Cirò are only released after significant ageing in producers’ cellars.
Greco Bianco
Greco Bianco is a local variety which forms the backbone of Cirò’s white wines. It’s unrelated to Greco from Campania, or — confusingly — the Malvasia di Lipari used in the nearby sweet wine DOC of Greco di Bianco.
The wines are generally fruity with floral notes, although the best can develop in bottle.
The Cirò revolution
Some international varieties were added to the Cirò DOC regulations in 1996. While larger wineries have generally been in favour of their addition, a number of smaller producers have resisted, leading to the foundation of the Cirò Revolution by Azienda Agricola Sergio Arcuri, A’ Vita and Tenuta del Conte.
Members of this organisation agree to use only 100% Gaglioppo, and no barriques in the ageing of the wines. There are 11 members as of 2024, and their eye-catching logo is a fist holding secateurs.
