Terre di Cosenza

History and origin

In the province of Cosenza the vine has very ancient roots: it was grown by the Oenotrians, who lived here before Greek colonisation in the eighth century BC brought new grape varieties and techniques. It is no coincidence that the Greeks called Calabria Oenotria, the land of wine, as the regional agency ARSAC recalls.

After the Second World War winegrowing around Cosenza went through a difficult period: the cooperative wineries that led the way in the 1970s were wound up at the end of the 1990s. From 2000 producers reorganised, leading to the birth of the Terre di Cosenza denomination in December 2014, now entered in the European register as a PDO.

The new denomination brought the whole province under a single name. Areas that already had their own denominations, such as Donnici, Pollino, Verbicaro or San Vito di Luzzi, recognised in 1995, became sub-zones: they preserve the traditional grape blends, while the specification sets stricter rules, with low yields and a large role for native grapes.

Sources: ARSAC Calabria — Terre di Cosenza DOP · ARSAC Calabria — I vini a Denominazione di Origine Protetta in Calabria · eAmbrosia — Terre di Cosenza (PDO-IT-A0627)

Area and method of production

The production area covers the whole province of Cosenza, a mosaic of landscapes: the Pollino to the north, the Orsomarso range running down towards the Tyrrhenian, the Ionian coast to the east, the Crati valley between the coastal range and the Sila and, at the far south, the Savuto valley.

The red is made with at least 60% Magliocco, locally also called Arvino, Lacrima or Guarnaccia nera; the white with at least 60% Greco bianco, Guarnaccia bianca, Pecorello or Montonico. The rosé is based on Greco nero, Magliocco, Gaglioppo, Aglianico or Calabrese, and the sparkling wine on Mantonico, refermented in the bottle and left on the lees for at least nine months.

For the passito wines the grapes dry in the open air or in suitable rooms and the wine is released from 1 December of the year after the harvest; for late harvest wines the grapes dry on the vine. Labels follow a pyramid that starts from the basic wines and reaches the Vigna mention, the first idea of a cru in Calabria.

Sources: Qualigeo — Terre di Cosenza DOP · ARSAC Calabria — Terre di Cosenza DOP

How to recognise it

The denomination includes many types: white, red, rosé, white and rosé sparkling, white and red passito, white and red late harvest and novello, as well as versions bearing the name of the grape or the sub-zone.

The white is straw yellow, sometimes with greenish highlights, with intense floral aromas and a soft, fresh taste. The red is a more or less deep ruby and recalls wild berries, red fruit, acacia blossom and lightly candied citrus; the palate is savoury and rich, with a long finish. After 24 months of ageing, counted from 1 November of the harvest year, it may carry the Riserva mention.

The white passito ranges from straw yellow to golden and smells of ripe fruit, citrus and pastry; the red passito, bright red turning garnet with age, recalls dried figs and almonds. The varietal types instead reflect the character of the grape and the area they come from.

Sources: Qualigeo — Terre di Cosenza DOP

Where to taste it

The seven sub-zones are a good thread for travelling around the province of Cosenza. Donnici, a district south of Cosenza, gives its name to the city's wine, made with Magliocco dolce and Greco nero on hills where almost every family has always kept a vineyard. Colline del Crati follows the river that crosses the province from the Sila to the Sibari plain, among arable fields, olive groves and vineyards.

The Pollino sub-zone covers the slopes of the massif facing the Ionian, where Lacrima nera and Greco nero grow and where Moscato di Saracena is made; Esaro takes its name from the valley between the Pollino and the coastal range, with many villages of Arbëreshë culture. Verbicaro looks out over the Tyrrhenian and shares part of its land with the citron; San Vito di Luzzi covers a single town in the middle Crati valley, and Condoleo the small town of Mandatoriccio on the Ionian coast.

Anyone visiting the Sila, the Pollino, Altomonte or Corigliano-Rossano therefore passes through landscapes of the same denomination.

Sources: ARSAC Calabria — Terre di Cosenza DOP · Qualigeo — Terre di Cosenza DOP

Protection

• DOC, PDO wine — PDO-IT-A0627 (eAmbrosia — Terre di Cosenza (PDO-IT-A0627) · Qualigeo — Terre di Cosenza DOP)

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Calabria

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