Sergio Arcuri ARIS Ciro Rosso Riserva 2020

Calabria, Italy

Sergio Arcuri ARIS Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva is a beautiful red wine gem from Calabria, the "toe" of the boot-shaped peninsula of southern Italy. It is 100% Gaglioppo. Calabria's best-known wine is Ciro', which grows in low hills along the Ionian coast between the ancient Greek cities of Sybaris and Kroton (Sibari and Crotone today). Local legend has it that Ciro' descended directly from Krimisa, the wine Calabrian athletes drank to celebrate victory in an early Olympiad.

Sergio Arcuri, who works with his brother Francesco, is a fourth-generation Gaglioppo grower. The family's 3.7 hectares lie in the heart of the Ciro region at 105 meters of altitude. This is on Calabria's south-eastern edge, overlooking the Gulf of Taranto & Puglia beyond. Sergio is lucky enough to have old vines; planted in 1948 using the original 'alberello' trellising system (for quality), along with more recent 'cordon speronata' (as found in Bordeaux, for machines & quantity) planted in the 1980s. The land is worked in accordance with organic practices. Yields are limited to 42 hl/ha. No microfiltration is ever performed so any sediment is natural and deemed important to the wine, according to Sergio. He likes to say he "refuses to strip the wine of its heart and soul so it looks pretty!"

Sergio Arcuri ARIS Ciro Riserva offers aromas of anise and prune first out of the glass, followed by red fruit, especially raspberry. The wine is medium in body with balanced structure and elegance. Notes of cherry and red currants with a hint of earth mix nicely on the wine's velvety texture. A touch of acidity gives the wine a nice, refreshing finish. Production: 2,100 bottles. Winemaker: Sergio Arcuri.

Enjoy Sergio Arcuri ARIS Ciro Rosso Riserva over the next 5-6 years with grilled meats, lasagna, veal Milanese and aged cheeses.