The South of Italy is full of small winemakers who have only recently become independent winemakers. Traditionally, in the South of Italy, grapes were mainly grown to sell directly to large wineries in the North of the country. In the last 40 years, however, the region has been able to become more independent and has taken an interest in its own past. Now, many winemakers use native grape varieties for winemaking to create unique (and often organic) wines.

The quality standards in this region have increased rapidly and nowadays this region is home to many excellent wines. The most famous examples are Nero d'Avola, Primitivo and Aglianico for red wines. But it doesn't stop there, the diversity of grape varieties is unprecedented in this part of Italy. It is for good reason that the ancient Greeks called this area Oenotria, "the land of wine".