The well-priced 2016 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Liber Pater (with 70,000 bottles made) offers a fresh and authentic taste of this important indigenous grape from the tip of the toe of the Italian boot. Gaglioppo tends to show high alcohol and high tannins, but both these qualities are mild and well measured in the case of this informal wine.

Cirò is a lean-bodied red wine that offers the freshness and energy for easy food pairings from pasta to white meat. The 2014 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Liber Pater shows bright notes of wild berry, cranberry and bitter almond. There is a sour note on the finish that comes with the territory when considering the Gaglioppo grape. Nonetheless, this wine offers a very clean and balanced interpretation of this celebrated Calabria appellation.

A pure expression of Gaglioppo, the 2012 Cirò Rosso Classico Superiore Liber Pater represents an interesting meeting point between traditional and modern Calabrian wine values. You get a great sense of the grape here with rustic tones of wild berry, resin and balsam herb. The winemaking is impeccable (considering the warm vintage) and the wine delivers tame tannins and fresh menthol tones on the close. Liber Pater sees eight months of barrique aging.