I’m constantly on the lookout for grape varietals I’ve never tried and get more excited when I find one that I’ve never heard of. That usually happens when we turn to Italy where there are hundreds of varietals, many indigenous to the Boot. This grape is Gaglioppo (ga ja li oppo), a hearty grape native to Calabria, where it is most successful in Cirò on the east coast of Southern Italy. The red version of this grape is often hard to drink as it is so dense and alcoholic, but it’s pretty amazing done as a rosé.

Nose: raspberry, plum, watermelon, orange peel, violets

Palette: ripe strawberry, cherry, raspberry, tangerine, chalky minerality

Pairing: pasta with a vodka sauce & asparagus spears, bruschetta with a light spread of Camboloza and roasted cherry tomatoes. Cheese: creamy blues, Humbolt Fog.

The Ippolioto family has been making wine in Cirò since the mid-19^th century, ramping up their quality and production post-WWII. It wasn’t until 1969, when they sought an international market that they discovered that their red grapes were Gaglioppo, before then, they were content with calling is a Rosso.