L’Acino Vini

In the far south of Italy, where the country narrows into the toe of the boot, lies Calabria—wedged between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. It’s a region of dramatic contrasts: rugged mountains and sun-drenched coasts, olive groves, vineyards, citrus orchards, and wild forests. This is a land of raw beauty—harsh and overlooked, yet incredibly fertile.

Calabria carries the weight of history: once part of Magna Graecia, it boasts a rich cultural and historical legacy. But it’s also a land that has been depopulated, neglected, and often misunderstood. Its wines, traditionally powerful and high in alcohol, have long been out of step with contemporary tastes—and almost invisible on the modern Italian wine map.

But in 2006, change began to take root.

A one-hectare vineyard planted with Mantonico grapes at 650 meters altitude. The land, once tended by a farmer too weary to continue battling its steep, windswept slopes, lies on the edge of the Pollino National Park. A year later, the team acquired another three hectares of Magliocco nearby.

None of them came from a winemaking background. They had no wealth, no resources—just big dreams and bold ambitions. With early guidance from renowned Cilento winemaker Luigi De Conciliis, the trio envisioned a different kind of Calabrian wine: light, fresh, elegant, and honest. Wines that would break with the overpowering stereotypes of the region.

From the beginning, their approach was rooted in low-intervention viticulture and natural winemaking. They focused on native grape varieties—some from century-old, own-rooted vines growing in sandy soils layered with sandstone or clay, rich in iron and constantly cooled by mountain breezes at over 600 meters elevation.