Tenuta del Travale Esmen Tetra Rosso Calabria IGP – 2020

A blend of 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Carpuccio.

Bright cherry red in colour. The nose is inviting and surprisingly Pinot Noir like, with perfumed, floral aromas of red cherry, redcurrants, herbs and spice. On the palate there is a beguiling mix of gentle red fruit flavours, cloves, lavender and spices. It is elegant and fresh with remarkable lightness of body for such a southerly wine region. Calabria meets red Burgundy – this is the real essence of the Nerello Mascalese grape! 13.5% alcohol.

Enjoy with pasta with a tomato or carbonara sauce, most red meat dishes, or serve slightly chilled with sashimi or fried fish.

330 cases were produced.

This winery is situated at 520ms altitude in the foothills of Mount Sila, Calabria’s highest mountain and annual winter ski destination! It is owned by the charming Raffaella Ciardullo, formerly an Italian teacher, and her husband Nicola, a lawyer. They grow mainly Nerello Mascalese, which is the famous grape of Mount Etna, and some Nerello Cappuccio grapes in their small vineyard paradise up in the hills above Cosenza. The vineyard looks like a mini amphitheatre. Lavender grows all around and olive and mountain pine trees surround the vines on all sides. Summers are hot in Calabria, but the high altitude and cooling wind which blows constantly from the nearby Mediterranean Sea, together with low night time temperatures, keep the grapes fresh and healthy.

The soils here are known as “terreno franco” – a The grapes are picked by hand, then vinified using wild yeasts and matured for 12-18 months in a mix of 225lt French oak barrels and large chestnut casks. The different lots are then blended and matured for a further three months in stainless steel tanks before bottling without the need for any filtration. It then spends a further 8 months in bottle before being released for sale.