Calabria · DOC
Greco di Bianco DOC
The southernmost passito of Calabria, born where Magna Graecia first planted vines. Greco di Bianco DOC is the oldest registered appellation of Reggio Calabria. Just 22 hectares of sun-dried Greco Bianco grapes on the Ionian coast around the village of Bianco yield a scarce, amber dessert wine in the same Mediterranean tradition as Pantelleria and Vin Santo.
Taste & Pairing
Taste Profile
Key Flavours
Orange blossom
Honey
Apricot
Bergamot
Almond
Caramel
Citrusy fruit
Editorial
Vintage Provenance
Why There Is No Vintage Chart
Greco di Bianco DOC has just 22 hectares under vine and total annual production around 500 cases. No denomination-wide vintage chart is currently published. Quality is tracked producer by producer rather than through a maintained annata table.
How Greco di Bianco is Made
Greco Bianco grapes, a minimum 95% of the blend, are harvested from low-lying vineyards no higher than 210 metres around the communes of Bianco and Casignana. The bunches are laid on graticci, traditional cane mats set out in the Ionian sun, or in forced-air drying chambers. Berries lose up to 35% of their weight before pressing. Fermentation is slow; finished alcohol settles around 14% with significant residual sugar and a potential of 17%. The disciplinare requires roughly one year of ageing before commercial release on November 1st of the year after harvest. Total annual production sits near 45 hectolitres, around 500 cases across the entire DOC.
In-Depth Guide
Greco di Bianco is a sweet, amber-coloured passito DOC from the Calabrian commune of Bianco, made from sun-dried Greco Bianco grapes. It was the first denomination registered in the province of Reggio Calabria, approved on 18 June 1980, and remains one of the smallest appellations in Italy with around 22 hectares under vine.
No. Greco di Bianco is a sweet passito from Calabria made from Greco Bianco, while Greco di Tufo DOCG is a dry white from Avellino in Campania made from a different grape called Greco. The two share a name but not a variety, a region, or a style.
Greco Bianco, locally also called Greco di Gerace, must make up at least 95% of the blend. The variety was likely brought to the Ionian coast by Greek colonists from the seventh century BC and was historically known as aminea, meaning 'not red'.
Expect a deep amber colour, intense aromas of orange blossom, dried apricot, candied citrus, honey and almond, and a sweet, full-bodied palate balanced by warm Mediterranean acidity. The finish is long, with the salty whisper of the nearby Ionian Sea.
Pair Greco di Bianco with mature blue-veined cheeses, almond and citrus pastries such as Calabrian mostaccioli or Sicilian cassatelle, walnut tarts, and bergamot panna cotta. It also stands up to dried-fruit desserts and lightly spiced foie gras.
Greco Bianco bunches are dried in the late-summer sun on graticci, traditional cane mats, or in forced-air drying chambers, losing up to 35% of their weight. The concentrated must is then pressed and slowly fermented, with the wine ageing for around a year before release on 1 November of the year following harvest.
Very rare. The whole DOC produces only around 45 hectolitres a year on average, roughly 500 cases for the entire appellation. The wines are largely sold close to the source in Reggio Calabria; few bottles ever reach UK retailers.
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