Librandi

The Librandi family established their commercial winery in 1953 in Cirò Marina, a coastal town on the Ionian Sea in Calabria. While the family had cultivated vineyards for at least four generations, brothers Antonio and Nicodemo Librandi were the first to transition the business from selling bulk grapes to estate bottling. This shift marked the beginning of a modernization period for Calabrian viticulture that focused on quality over quantity. Today, the operation remains exclusively family owned and is managed by Nicodemo alongside his sons Raffaele and Paolo, as well as his nephew Francesco and niece Teresa.

The estate manages roughly 232 hectares of vineyards divided among several distinct properties such as Rosaneti, Arcidiaconato, and the historic Ponta vineyard where the company began. Soils in these areas vary from the red clay typical of the Cirò region to limestone deposits found in the coastal foothills. The climate is defined by the thermal excursion between the Ionian Sea and the Sila mountainous plateau. In the late 1990s, the winery began a long term collaboration with consultant oenologist Donato Lanati to modernize their production. A central part of their viticultural philosophy is the recovery of local heritage, evidenced by a circular experimental vineyard that contains over 200 different indigenous Calabrian clones.

Librandi is most recognized for its role in elevating the status of the Gaglioppo grape through wines like the Duca Sanfelice, a Cirò Rosso Riserva aged in stainless steel to preserve varietal character. They also produce the Gravello, a blend of Gaglioppo and Cabernet Sauvignon that helped establish a modern international profile for Calabrian wine in the late 1980s. Other prominent labels include the Magno Megonio, made from the rediscovered Magliocco Canino variety, and the Critone, a white blend composed of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery maintains a consistent presence in the Melissa DOC where it bottles the Asylia line of wines.