Winery Overview
Casa Comerci is a Certified Organic and Sustainable family-run winery that lies under Mount Poro in Badia di Nicotera, the heart of wine-growing country in Italy’s deep south. Calabrians have been making wine for centuries and have a deep-rooted passion for the most important things in life: good wine, the Mediterranean diet, and strong family bonds. These key components form the basis of what Casa Comerci has represented for generations. Casa Comerci was founded in the late 1800s by Francesco Comerci, a man of extreme tenacity and courage. He had two daughters: Michelina grew up to love olive trees; Rosina loved grape vines. In fact, it was Rosina who naturally followed in the footsteps of her father and dedicated her life to winemaking. Quite fortuitously, she married the local barrel maker and together they had 7 children. Unfortunately, after his untimely death, Rosina had to go it alone in the wine business. She was particularly close to her last born, Salvatore, whom she nicknamed Micuccio in honor of her late husband and put in charge of the family business. Salvatore, however, had other ideas. He studied to become a lawyer and, as many young Italians do, moved to northern Italy, which is seen as the land of opportunity. He settled down in Emilia Romagna, and found it surprisingly similar to his native Calabria, thanks to its people’s close relationship with the land. Of course, when he emigrated, he did not leave anything to chance. Casa Comerci was left in the capable hands of wine experts that were on the ground, visiting twice per year to taste the wines and manage quality control. He, in turn, also passed on this passion for oenology to his own children. Today, we have the second Domenicantonio… just as his grandfather did in the century before, he decided to throw himself into the world of wine to honor his forebears. This time, however, not as a barrel maker, but as a winemaker. It was not an easy choice, seeing as Emilia Romagna is at the opposite end of Italy’s boot, but he was convinced it was the right thing to do. Together with his sons Francesco and Federico, he revived Casa Comerci, which had been lying dormant for several years. More land was acquired over time and now the area boasts 30 hectares, split evenly between vineyards and olive groves. The company had a renaissance thanks to Domenicantonio Silipo and his adult children, Francesco and Federico. What makes his wines so special is that they are all single-varietals, and all made respecting the local terroir, climate and growing conditions. Magliocco Canino is the most important grape variety and is native to Calabria. The grapes were certified organic in 2009 and the winery became fully certified in 2013. Casa Comerci’s vineyards are located just a stone’s throw from one another: BADIA VINEYARD
This vineyard is near the family home and wine cellar. It is made up of two small vineyards that were overhauled in 2001. The soil has a sandy-loam composition and the vines are trained on Paulsen 1103 rootstocks and use the single Guyot (cane pruning) method with 4-5 buds per shoot. The 60 rows are held up using galvanized steel poles and extend from north to south facing. Only Magliocco Canino is cultivated here.
SANT’ANDREA VINEYARD In 2008 the winery added an extra 13 hectares to its old site, in a small area called Sant’Andrea in the village of Limbadi. The terrain is located on a gentle slope overlooking the Tyrennhian sea. It has a sandy-silty soil. There are 10 hectares dedicated to growing Magliocco Canino and 3 to Greco Bianco. The Magliocco Canino grapes are trained as in the Badia vineyard using the single Guyot method, whereas the Greco Biano uses the Cordon (spur pruning) method. Both vines are trained on Paulsen 1103 rootstocks and the entire 294 rows are also held up using galvanised steel poles. The Greco Bianco vines are north-south facing on sloping terrain; the Magliocco Canino east-west facing on flat ground. The Casa Comerci olive grove surrounds the Sant’Andrea vineyard. Uniqueness of this area of Calabria vs. the Eastern Side of Calabria: Casa Comerci is on the western side of Calabria, near Tropea, which is a vacation destination on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Their vineyards are on a hill at 250-meters overlooking the sea. You can even see the Aeolian Islands of Sicily from there! The breezes from North Africa and the Tyrrhenian Sea create diurnal temperature swings, moderating the heat, and giving their wines the minerality and salinity that their area is known for. The other side of Calabria is on the Ionian Sea, with different wind patterns from Eastern Europe and different grapes chosen as the focus. Different soils: soils at Casa Comerci are sandy silty while in Ciro, they’re rich in clay, so different grapes thrive in these different parts of the region. Different grapes: the larger wineries on the eastern side of Calabria chose Gaglioppo as their signature grape which is why it’s the most planted grape in the region. Casa Comerci, on the other hand, helped to revive Magliocco Canino, which is a more traditional grape in their part of Calabria. In fact, Casa Comerci’s mission has been to rescue this grape variety from extinction! It’s a grape that was mostly dug up after WWII to plant olives, but it was a traditional grape of the family for generations and a local tradition to give the daughters born in the area a barrel of Magliocco Canino to save for their wedding day. Casa Comerci makes their Magliocco Canino pure and fresh, with no wood exposure. It’s an ageable grape with high tannin and high acid.