2015 A’Vita Rosato

Price: $22Region: Cirò < Calabria < Italy Grapes: GaglioppoVineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, clay/marl soils; after crushing and destemming, grapes macerate for 12 hours in stainless steel without temperature control, after which they are not pressed, but drained by gravity. Aged 3 months in stainless steel; 283 cases.Winemaker: Francesco di Franco Francesco and his wife, Laura, moved to the coastal city of Cirò to make top quality natural wine with Gaglioppo, the most important native variety of Calabria. This was a return home for Francesco, who grew up in Cirò but, like many Calabrians, went north for university and more opportunity. There he met Laura, a native of Friuli, and studied oenology. But the natural beauty and artistic tradition of Calabria drew him back, and he wanted to demonstrate the potential of this largely forgotten part of Italy, where most of the wine production is highly industrial. I had the privilege of visiting Francesco and Laura this summer, sta