Cantine Viola
Alessandro
Well, where to start this story? There are experiences that we will never forget, and this was certainly one of them. Cantine Viola was recommended to us by Fabrizio, the singer of Italian Rock band El Rojo. We randomly met Fabrizio in a local Italian bar in the town of Morano Calabro. He invited us for dinner and soon we were at Fabrizio’s, having pasta with self-picked porcini and home-dried peppers accompanied by speck of Fabrizio’s friend, a local farmer. During this dinner, Fabrizio talked enthusiastically about Cantine Viola, and gave us their contact information.
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Warm welcome
The next day, we were warmly welcomed in the village of Saracena, a few miles south of Morano Calabro. Alessandro, his brother Claudio, and their father Luigi took plenty of time to let us try all their wines. And Fabrizio had been right the night before, these wines were absolutely fantastic.
From teacher to winemaker
When Luigi Viola, Alessandro’s father, retired from being a primary school teacher in 1999, he decided to dedicate his life to saving the Moscato di Saracena grape from extinction. A grape used to make a very special passito dessert wine. What started out as a hobby, got out of hand, and soon became the passion of the entire family – Luigi, his wife Margherita and their three sons Roberto, Alessandro, and Claudio. After a while, the family decided to start cultivating more native grapes, Magliocco and Montonico, to start producing red and white wines as well.
Only four hectares
The grapes are cultivated in an area of just four hectares close to Saracena at a height of 350 meter. The vines lie in the sun from early morning until dawn, while they are being cooled by a cool winds from the Pollino plateau at night. This creates a microclimate with large temperature fluctuations, making it an ideal location for the production of wines with great diversity in terms of aromas and flavors.
Passion, climate and soil
The family’s passion, the climate, and the unique terroir produce fantastic organic wines, which are not only highly valued by us, but also receive rave reviews in competitions and major wine magazines. Cantine Viola makes two red wines, one white wine and the unique Moscato Passito di Saracena. All four, very much recommended!
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