After a long spell of euroreflectioneuro we speak euphemistically , Calabrian vintners are at last edging their products up into higher-quality venues . . . a return to an ancient but long neglected historical place in the sun. Calabria is unusually blessed with a favourable, indeed nearly ideal climate, ample stocks of autochthonous grapes and many mellow traditions, but this potential is still being squandered in rivulets of mostly middling wines when they areneurot downright mediocre. But reform and reorganisation is on the march. Judging from the catalogues of the major producers, most of the wines have by now lost their (not always necessarily unpleasant) natural rustic quality and the effects of not yet well understood technologies. Now, however, treated with care by experienced oenologists and often derived from grapes harvested at the right point of maturity, Calabrian wines are beginning, albeit timidly, to appeal to demanding palates. 2004 was an excellent vintage for well-made and extremely pleasant reds, especially for Cir, that will help to spread the good word.From the Espresso wine guide to Italian wines 2008