Tenuta del Conte is a small, family-run estate in Cirò Marina, Calabria, where the Parrilla family has been making wine for four generations.

The family farms around 15 hectares of vineyards along the Ionian coast, with Mariangela Parrilla now leading the winemaking.

Their vineyards benefit from constant sea breezes, hot Mediterranean sunshine and the cooling influence of the nearby hills, creating a distinctive microclimate for native Calabrian varieties.

The estate has farmed organically since 2004 and has been officially certified organic since 2014.

Tenuta del Conte focuses on indigenous varieties, particularly Greco Bianco and Gaglioppo, which results in fresh, savoury wines with a strong sense of place.

Calabria occupies the toe of Italy’s boot, a rugged, mountainous region framed by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.

Its Mediterranean climate brings hot, dry summers, while sea breezes and altitude help retain freshness in the vineyards.

Winemaking here dates back to the ancient Greek colonies of Magna Graecia, and today Calabria is particularly celebrated for its indigenous grapes.

Gaglioppo is the signature red variety, producing savoury, structured wines, especially around Cirò on the Ionian coast.

For whites, Greco Bianco brings citrus, herbal and saline freshness, while the region also produces distinctive wines from Magliocco, Mantonico and Pecorello.

Across the region, small producers are increasingly championing old vines, native varieties and lower-intervention winemaking, helping to reveal the diversity of Calabria’s coastal and mountainous terroirs.

Greco (usually Greco Bianco) is an ancient southern Italian white variety, widely believed to have arrived with Greek settlers in Magna Graecia. Its modern heartland is Campania—especially around Tufo, where Greco di Tufo is a flagship DOCG—though you’ll also find it in neighbouring Basilicata and in Calabria (notably for the sweet, passito-style Greco di Bianco). Small experimental plantings exist further afield in the USA and Australia.

In the vineyard Greco is moderately vigorous, mid- to late-ripening and well suited to calcareous, volcanic and tuff-rich soils. It holds firm natural acidity but needs a long, even season to ripen phenolics fully. Compact bunches and relatively thick skins demand airflow to avoid downy mildew and botrytis in humid spells, while a narrow picking window—sugars climb quickly as acidity falls—makes harvest timing critical. In the cellar it benefits from careful, largely reductive handling to preserve aroma, with lees ageing adding texture; oak is used sparingly.

Stylistically, Greco is no lightweight. Dry versions are typically full-bodied and mineral, with citrus (lemon, grapefruit), stone fruit (white peach, apricot), yellow apple and notes of fennel, wild herbs and almond. A subtle smoky or sulphurous “tuff” imprint is common in Tufo. The palate is structured, often with a gentle phenolic grip and a clean, saline finish, giving real gastronomic versatility. With age, the best examples develop waxy, honeyed, nutty complexity while retaining their backbone. Alongside these dry wines, late-harvest and passito styles show richer dried-fruit, orange-peel and spice characters.