Vumbaca 2023 Ciro Rosso Superiore Calabria

This little Mediterranean gem is from Ciro region of Calabria, one of Italy's oldest winemaking areas. This is a lightly colored red that has a light body but is big on flavor, showing cherries, savory spice and acidity. Vumbaca wines can be tart at first, yet evolve in the glass over time.

Christian Vumbaca is one of the rising stars in Ciro. He began in the early 1980’s, after a long career as a lawyer in Rome. He returned to his roots in the early 1980’s to farm vines owned by his mother and uncle. Today he owns nearly 13 hectar of vines all of which are farmed organically. He works with very old Gaglioppo vines, relying on native yeasts for fermentation and aging in steel for aging for an unvarnished approach. His wines are pure expressions of old southern Italian grapes like Greco Bianco, Mantonico and Magliocco. He prefers to keep production small, and his wines closely follow the vintage. This is his Ciro Superiore, an excellent bait and switch. While its appearance is lightly- colored, this wine packs a punch with chewy tannins, bright acidity and a kiss of volcanic savory goodness.

• WINEMAKER: Christian Vumbaca
• VARIETAL: Gaglioppo
• APPELLATION: Ciro
• REGION: Calabria
• VINEYARD: Organic with little intervention
• WINERY: native yeast, 6 day maceration, aging in steel
• ABV: 14
• SERVE: Pop and pour