Cretapaglia

San Marco Argentano (CS) - CALABRIA

Cretapaglia is based in San Marco Argentano, in the province of Cosenza.
The winery is run by the insanely passionate Antonello Canonico, who set off on his own in 2017 after working with one of Calabria’s most well-known natural winemakers, L’Acino.

Cretapaglia – literally, straw and clay - is named after the houses common to the area. Antonello describes the place as like an island cut off from the rest of the world, between two seas – the Ionian and Tyrrhenian - and two beautiful mountain ranges – La Sila and the Pollino.

Antonello farms three hectares, 600 meters above sea level. Two hectares are made up of young vines. The remaining hectare is scattered with 100-year old vines. He also has a smaller, half hectare plot, a crazy, hour-long drive through the mountains from San Marco, where he grows the local grape variety, Guardavalle. The soil in the area is red and grey clay, rich in iron and sedimentary rocks.

Antonello believes in ‘ecological’ agriculture, in the sense of trying to work in harmony with all the organisms on the vineyard, both animals and plants. Everything on the vineyard is carried out by hand. The vines are treated with small amounts of sulphur and copper, as well as herbal tea and essential oils.

Some grapes are de-stemmed in open vats, while others are crushed by foot. White grapes undergo a short maceration on skins (depending on the variety). Red grapes ferment in wood for around 10 days. Fermentation is undertaken without temperature control. Reds undergo delestage. Whites refine on their lees. There is no fining, no filtration and just a little sulphur dioxide is added before bottling.

But ultimately Antonella has no set protocol when it comes to winemaking. His goal is to give as pure an interpretation as he can of what nature provides each year. His wines are delicate and direct. Yet, despite being made with a soft touch, they have a strong identity, expressing a unique connection with the ancient land where they are produced.