Our Tradition
Winemaking has always been one of the yearly activities on a Calabrian
calendar. For centuries our family has made wine. It's an essential
part of life. People here produced grapes for themselves and a
little extra to sell to buyers - it's still very similar today.
Calabrian grapes and must have always been in demand owing to
their marvelous ageing potential. Basically, in the past, when
the northern wines began to turn sour in the state canteens out
came the wines produced in the sunny south of Italy, still perfect
in every way for much more time to come.
Competitive winemaking!
My father was born in Bocchigliero a rural community in the Sila
mountains. Everyone in his village was a proud owner of a vineyard
'ad alberello' on which grapes such as Gaglioppo, Pedilungo, Trebbiano,
and Greco Bianco were grown, and each to his own, held the conviction
that they produced the best wine in the village!
In the 1960's
With the modernization of oenological techniques my father decided
to open a small winery in Cirò Marina. Each year, like now,
he bought quality grapes from many of the small vineyard owners
who avidly tend to their property the year through.
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Emerging Markets
Between Ciro' and Milan he established a good market for
his wines and with the acknowledgment of Cirò as a 'Denominazione
di Origine Controllata' wine in 1969, he continued to produce
the classic Cirò, but also Riserva's too. In 1972, after
much success in north Italy he proudly opened "Linardi Casa
Vinicola" a modern winery perfectly suited to the advancement
of Cirò d.o.c wines.
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Photo: Francesco and Roberto Linardi
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I grew up with the
winery and it was only natural that I should want to further
my father's research.
During my studies at oenological school in Conegliano, Veneto, I
became more interested in experimenting with Calabrian indigenous
grapes, in fact, today, that is my foremost interest.
Our Mission
Calabrian grapes aren't well known and there are very few wineries
in the region exporting Cirò abroad. I find there is the
tendency amongst producers here to make their wines similar to others
produced from 'famous' grapes. Also the market demands predominantly
young wines but I don't let these things bother me. Gaglioppo has
distinct and remarkable advantage when it comes both to style and
ageing. Our red wines are powerful and bold, unique in colour, aroma
and flavour, our whites delicate and harmonious. Working with these
rare grape varieties is a great challenge and privilege and I'm
quietly confident that with time our wines will be discovered, acknowledged
and appreciated for what they truly are, without having to compromise
what makes them authentic.
I hope that reading this website illustrates our hard work and
you will have the opportunity soon to try our wines.
Roberto Linardi
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