Cantine Viola

Cantine Viola is a family business located near Saracena, in the heart of Calabria. Its birth is due to Luigi Viola's love for his land. Once his career as an elementary school teacher was over, he decided to devote himself to viticulture with the aim of recovering the ancient tradition of producing Moscato di Saracena, a wine that risked being lost in oblivion. With the help of his wife Margherita and sons Roberto, Alessandro and Claudio, Luigi succeeded in his aim and started producing this ancient sweet wine, a symbol of the territory The first vintages were immediately appreciated by connoisseurs and the project was able to continue on its way.

The town of Saracena was built on top of a rocky relief in the valley of the Garga river near the Monti di Orsomarso, which form the southern part of the Pollino National Park area. Its origins are very ancient and can even be traced back to a settlement founded by the Enotri population. Its name, however, derives from the conquest by the Saracens around 900 A.D., who made it an outpost on Calabrian soil, before being defeated and driven out by the army of Constantinople. The Viola estate is located in contrada Rinni, in the hilly area of Saracena. The vineyards are situated at an altitude of approximately 350 metres above sea level, with a very sunny exposure, which allows the grapes to ripen very well. The area enjoys a very favourable microclimate. The Pollino Mountains protect the vineyards from the cold winds that descend from the north, and to the south the area is open to the influence of the sea breezes that blow inland.

The choice of vines has remained faithful to the history and traditions of the area and has favoured native varieties: Magliocco dolce, Moscatello di Saracena, Guarnaccia bianca, Malvasia, Mantonico and Duraca. The new plantings are espalier, but the company is also recovering some old bush-trained vines to preserve the testimony of viticulture in the past. The estate is run under a certified organic farming system and only sulphur and copper are used in the vineyard. The great care taken in the vineyard and meticulous, painstaking work in the cellar result in healthy, genuine wines. Cantine Viola's flagship product remains the Moscato Passito di Saracena, although over the years the range has been enriched with interesting still wines with a typically territorial character.