The visit to the winery Cote di Franze close to Cirò Marina in Calabria was a long time coming, as I contacted them already last year when I was in Calabria. However, last year we did not manage to arrange a visit. Then at Vinitaly this year, together with Nadia, I passed by the Calabria pavilion to taste their wines. So, of course, when I went back to the Cirò area this summer I contacted them again. Vincenzo Scilanga, who owns the family winery together with his brother Francesco, now had time to show me around and so I, finally, could still my curiosity. Cote di Franze means more or less the ’plain’ of Franze, which is the name of the location where the winery and most of the vineyards are situated.
Cirò Marina
Cirò Marina is a small town of about 14,000 inhabitants situated a bit north of Crotone in the northeastern part of Calabria, just by the Ionian sea. It is a coast town which dates back to the period of the Ancient Greek settlers who arrived in Calabria in the VII century B.C. Today the town is better known as the Città del Vino (the City of Wine).

Cirò Doc
It is here that the Cote di Franze winery is situated, right in the middle of the Cirò Doc district. This is an area where viticulture is a tradition that goes way back in history to the era of the Magna Grecia, just as in a large part of Calabria. In fact, the ancient greeks highly valorized the extremely fertile soil for viticulture that they discovered in Calabria. What strikes you when you visit this area, is that almost everyone seems to belong to a family who owns at least a small vineyard, if not several vineyard lots spread around the countryside outside Cirò Marina. Most of the new small organic winemakers that I am writing about from Calabria, has taken over the management of the vineyards from their fathers or grandfathers thus continuing a tradition inherited from generations back. Several of them have decided to turn the wine production from bulk wine to bottled wine at the same time as they stay true to the traditional techniques of viticulture.
When I talked to Vincenzo, he told me about the grafting methods that are a precious knowledge and heritage that has been forwarded from generation to generation in Cirò. Vincenzo himself has learned it from his father and grandfather and is applying this knowledge in his vineyards at the present day.
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Two Brothers Preserving a Tradition
Vincenzo and Francesco Scilanga are continuing a family tradition that started out around 300 years ago, when their ancestor, also called Vincenzo Scilanga, started cultivating grapes in Cirò. Since then the family has been vine growers and winemakers from generation to generation, which is a valid proof of their love for the land and their vineyards. It was this passion, that convinced Vincenzo, and his brother to continue the tradition as winemakers. Vincenzo is responsible for the work in the vineyards and the winery, while Francesco deals with the more administrative part. They have no oenologist, instead, Vincenzo himself deals with the winemaking processes and he knows his native grape varieties like the back of his hand.
Happy #Friday with another piece of vineyard of @cotedifranze #gaglioppo @WineAntics @boozychef @WineGalUnboxed pic.twitter.com/Hf9SsPohWO
— Katarina Andersson (@ricasoli99) August 5, 2016
As many vine growers in Cirò, they live in or around Cirò Marina. However, many of the winemakers often have a small winery building as a part of the house and then they go to the vineyards in the surrounding countryside every day. This is not the case for Vincenzo and Francesco Scilanga, instead, they have built a winery building in the middle of their vineyards in order to have everything close by where they work.

From Vineyard to Vinification
The vineyards of Cote di Franze comprises 22 acres where the soil is mainly clay, but also contains sand and loam. The clay is what gives the Cote di Franze wines its structure and particular aromas. Here they cultivate the indigenous grape varieties Gaglioppo and Greco Bianco. I have talked about the Gaglioppo grape in several articles, as it is the grape variety with a big G in Calabria. It has a need of sun and heat in order to ripen, therefore it grows well in the quite dry and harsh soil of Calabria. The Gaglioppo, furthermore, has a thin skin which makes it very sensitive to rain. The Greco Bianco is also an important white grape variety in Calabria which is used in different DOC wines such as Cirò Doc, Lamezia Doc, Bivongi Doc, etc. It is a grape which ripens late and is generally harvested at the end of September.

Furthermore, Cote di Franze is organically certified. Thus, they use no chemical pesticides or herbicides but only organical substances, such as sulfur and copper, for the treatment of the vines. They use natural yeasts, as low a level of sulfites as possible, and the fermentation and aging all takes place in stainless steel vats. They do not use any type of oak barrels or barriques for the aging process. The wines produced in this way are indeed different every year, as they are made in a more natural and organic way, which is also the fascinating thing about it all.
The Wines
When I visited Vincenzo at Cote di Franze, we had a small wine tasting directly in the hangar-like winery building after the short walk around the vineyard. It was very nice to be able to taste the different wines in the same space where they are produced, right in front of the steel vats and other equipment. They produce five different wines, namely Cirò DOP Bianco, Kom’è IGT Calabria, Cirò DOP Rosato, Cirò DOP Rosso Classico Superiore, and Cirò DOP Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva.
These are all wines where you feel the terroir and the typical characteristics of the indigenous grapes. It is as if you drink a piece of Calabria and its culture when you taste them. The Cirò DOP Bianco has a straw yellow color and notes of fruit, such as apricot, and an aromatic touch. It is a sapid and mineral wine. The Kom’è IGT Calabria is a more recent wine that Vincenzo has decided to make and where he is experimenting with spontaneous fermentation. Its color resembles very much an orange wine, with a more deep yellow, orangey hue. It is an aromatic and mineral white wine with a slightly bitter aftertaste. If we then continue with the Cirò DOP Rosato, it is a rosé wine with a beautiful color which seems like a mix between a cherry red, copper red, and salmon-like hue. It has distinct notes of fruit and minerals, the tannins are present though smooth. All in all, it is a well-balanced rosato wine.
Even though I am a big fan especially of the Kom’è IGT Calabria, but also of the Cirò DOP Rosato, their Gaglioppo wines Cirò DOP Rosso Classico Superiore 2012 and Cirò DOP Rosso Classico Superiore Riserva 2012, of course, were the highlights of the small wine tasting we had at 11 am when I visited the winery. Both wines have lovely intense notes of cherry and plums, as well as a balsamic touch and hints of under vegetation. The 2012 is fresh and mineral while the Riserva 2012, of course, also has its minerality and it is also more full-bodied and structured than the 2012. The tannins are smooth and elegant, and even more so in the Riserva 2012.
Some concluding words…
My summer weeks in Calabria this year were indeed very much fun, and I am very grateful to the wine producers I visited for driving me around and showing me their vineyards and wineries. Often they also came to pick me up, as I had not rented a car having thought I would stay mostly at the beach and perhaps visit a couple wineries only. In the end, I was introduced to several wine producers and learned very much about their winemaking processes.
Cirò is a fascinating part of Calabria with the Ionian sea on one side, the hills on the other side, and the vineyards covering the landscape in between. Vincenzo and Francesco Scilanga’s winery is situated beautifully here in the middle of the vineyards with a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape. For those of you who are going to Calabria, you should definitely pay them a visit. They produce organic wines with indigenous grape varieties such as Greco Bianco and Gaglioppo, resulting in a true expression of the Cirò terroir.
Written by Katarina Andersson.
Looks like a great winery! I need to check it out on my future trip to Italy.
Thanks Sabrina, yes, it is a great winery. 🙂
It’s great when a family tradition, and the secrets learned, are handed down from generation to generation. Calabria sounds so beautiful.
Welcome back and seems like you had yet another great visit… fine wines, a great vineyard and food! 🙂
Thanks Kristen, yes, I have articles to write for a couple of months with all the traveling and visits this summer. LOL
I love that region. It’s such a wonderful area to visit. And your trip sounds like it was just delicious and delightful.
I spent the day at a large Texas vineyard and winery yesterday, Katarina, so what a joy to wake up to your wonderful story and remain in the vineyard 🙂 I love the way they grow their grapes at Cote di Franze, with no pesticides and herbicides. Gary does that at the Red Caboose here–which all the “experts” said couldn’t be done. And ah, doesn’t it make such a huge difference in the wines!
Would love to visit this one too!
Texas wine is very much on the map right now…so I would like to learn more about that. 🙂
What a wonderful trip! I stayed in Italy in a villa at a vineyard for a week with 7 friends about 15 years ago. It was amazing! Very interesting and informative post… thanks!
Great locations to add to ‘must see’ list on my next trip to Italy.
Thanks for sharing your travels – sounds pretty heavenly!
I hope someday you put all these wonderful posts into a guide book of family owned wineries in Italy
Thanks Roslyn, and that is actually a plan of mine. 🙂 Just need to get the time to do it all.
I love that this wine is steeped in so much tradition. Passed down from father to son/daughter. It makes the wine more special somehow
Looks like a great place to visit 🙂 Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip!
Love that they produce organic wines. On my bucket list!
I just love the idea of what you do – travel and drink wine – then tell everyone about it. Looks fabulous and I will need to keep my eyes open for some of the great wines you mention.
Thanks Audrey, yes, it is indeed a very fun thing to do and write about. 🙂
Organic wines? That is amazing. Calabria sounds like a truly beautiful and exceptional place to visit.
Thank you Kathy, yes, it is a very beautiful region.
One thing I most love about your posts Katarina is that I can remain an armchair traveler and soak up the beauty and knowledge of your wine adventures. Of course, I miss the tasting of the great organic wines you mention, but I’ll start being on the look out for any that turn up in my neck of the woods.
Thanks Joyce, that’s so nice of you. And, of course, that’s my aim to be able to bring a piece of my winery visits to you all. 🙂
How cool that they are carrying on such a long-standing tradition. I’ll have to look for their wines in our liquor stores. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jackie, for the comment. And, yes, it is a very interesting winery. They do not export very much yet, but they are slowly growing.