Creta Paglia, "Sciccu" 2021

In Italy’s southwest, it seems, there is a now-perennial unearthing of ancient wines/wine practices that are being reanimated and preserved – the south of Italy writ large, what’s otherwise known as the Mezzogiorno, is where ancient collisions of Roman & Greek civilization so often took place. In fact, the southern coasts of Italy were once known as Magna Grecia, due to the holdings and thereby cultural influences, Ancient Greek armies & people once held. In this way, there is a smattering of ancient Greek artifacts in the area, some even in the ampelographic form of grape species. In the northern coastal corridor of Southwest Italy’s Calabria, there are a host of varieties thought to be of Ancient Greek origin, some tended particularly well by winegrowers who’ve dedicated themselves to this practice of living history such as Antonello Canonico of Creta Paglia. Grape varieties such as Mantonica, Guardavelle, and Magliocco may have arrived in Calabria from Georgia via Ancient Greece – Antonello thinks this is the case. Regardless, making wine from rare treasures such as these is a way of making historical beverages – as though you are literally drinking history. The story is a bit more complex than this – for instance, the more immediate context in which these wines are being made is one that takes into account the rural depopulation of Calabria, the custodianship of local agricultural practices in the absence of government subsidies, a reputation for (and stained landscape due to) bulk wine. In the midst of all of this, what Antonello achieves is pure magic for our money: Mediterranean beauties that seem to swirl with the sands of time.

*Cue the White Lotus opening theme song & imagine you're on a boat in the Ionian Sea, drinking this wine, not about to get murdered, with Jennifer Coolidge* A textural and salty orange wine made from local Calabrian varietals Guardavalle, Mantonico and Guarnaccia. Fermented separately with the skins and blended/aged in concrete. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2.