Dino Briglio founded L’Acino in 2006 with two childhood friends who have since amicably moved on from the project. As natives of the mountain town of San Marco Argentano, the winery is a communal effort to express the oft-forgotten possibilities of Calabrian terroir.
After a year of searching far and wide for a small vineyard, Dino struck gold with a hectare of the indigenous white grape Mantonico. Purchased from an old farmer who deemed the land too hard to work, this picturesque vineyard is located right on the border of the Pollino park, the largest natural park in Italy. Soon thereafter, the guys were able to purchase a nearby 1.5 hectare parcel of the local red grape Magliocco.
While converting both parcels to organics, they produced their first wines in the 2007, a white called “Mantonicoz” and a red named “Tocco Magliocco”. At 650 meters elevation and exposed North, both these sites are particularly cool, providing a lighter, more elegant style than most would expect of Calabrian wine. Dino, now fully at the helm of l’Acino since 2016, works ten hectares of vines and rents five (mostly of older vines). Though he’s never studied viticulture or enology, he is the son and grandson of farmers and the work has proved to be instinctive. The wines ferment off their native yeasts, mostly in stainless steel vats. Vinifications take place without addition or retractions, save a small amount of sulfur at bottling.
The whites are wildly original and compelling, while the reds are a pure, quaffable joy.
- Calabria Bianco “Chora” – 80% Mantonico / 20% Guarnaccia Bianca
- Calabria Rosso “Chora” – 100% Magliocco