Author: admin

Rare wines of Calabria: Pellaro, Trasfigurato, Kalipea

7.4.2018

You can appreciate in Calabria some rare nectars like the wines called Pellaro, Trasfigurato, Kalipea.

If you discover the cellars where you can taste such wines, you will understand how the great tradition of Mediterranean winemaking is a treasure to re-discover, a trace of an ancient past, which tells of the origins of European civilization.

 

PELLARO

The production area of ​​Pellaro includes the entire territory of the municipality of Motta San Giovanni and the territory of the fractions of Bocale, Lume di Pellaro, Macellari, Occhio di Pellaro, Oliveto, Paterriti, Pellaro, San Filippo, Valanidia of the municipality of Reggio Calabria. This wine is surely a relic of greek past, given that the location has been inhabited since the times of Greater Greece, and is surrounded by hills. The Romans conquered the city in 272 BC. Local forests were used to supply Rome with timber for ships of war, and the port was a strategic location for trade with the East.

This wine has an intense ruby red color, intense and delicate aromas and scents of raspberries and violets. It comes from a long maceration of the grapes at a controlled temperature. Maceration lasts twelve days. The aging happens in small barrels for 8 months.
On the nose it is vinous, with hints of ripe fruit and notes of roses, violets and sweet spices; in the mouth it is warm, intense, enveloping and with a good and long persistence.The Rosé Pellaro has a more or less intense pink color; on the nose it has aromas of withered flowers and delicate aromatic notes; in the mouth it is fresh, enveloping, soft, sapid and with a fruity finish.

 

TRASFIGURATO

A particular wine present in Calabria is the Trasfigurato, made in Seminara. This red wine, but also the local wine of Seminara, is preserved in “terracotta” vases. This original way to preserve the wine is completely “Greek”.
This way, the search for Calabrian wines can be a fascinating pastime for visitors who want to know Calabria, not only for what it is, but also for what it offers.

Seminara is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria.  Seminara was also the birthplace of Barlaam of Seminara and Leontius Pilatus, who were two of the most important Byzantine scholars of the Renaissance period.

 

KALIPEA

Kalipea, made in Locri, is a wonderful white-rosè wine of a golden color. It has a color between golden yellow and pale rosé, delicate perfume, dry taste, quite harmonious.
The vineyards are located in the district of Kalipia in the municipality of Locri, the wine is made from with grapes of Mantonico, Malvasia di Sicilia, Gaglioppo, Negrello, and Trebbiano.

This wine tells something of the land were the grapes are cultivated.  The town of Epizephyrian Locris (Greek Ἐπιζεφύριοι Λοκροί) was founded about 680 BC on the Italian shore of the Ionian Sea, near modern Capo Zefirio, by the Locrians.
Epizephyrian Locris was one of the cities of Magna Graecia and Plato called it “The flower of Italy”, due to the local peoples’ characteristics.  No surprise that the name of the wine is so typically “Greek”.

 

SMAF LTD

Explore our products, coming from CALABRIA. Order the food and beverage products that allow you to explore the Mediterranean diet of a remarkable region. Surrounded by two seas and adorned with pine forests, mysterious villages, natural habitats, and rich biodiversity. Discover handcrafted delicacies that embody the soul of the land: sun-ripened fruits, premium olive oils, bold wines, artisanal cheeses, and traditional cured meats, all crafted with passion and authenticity.

contact us, your supplier

Bergamot inside Calabrian Gastronomy

4.4.2018

Bergamot, inside Calabrian Gastronomy, is contantly present.

 

JUICE

We can mention Bergamot juice based drink. This a refreshing, invigorating and extremely refreshing drink, to be consumed for breakfast, so energizing your awakening or drinking during the day, and to win your thirst for a long time. Bergamot juice can also be added to aloe, this way all the properties of bergamot and aloe vera gel and arborescensis, can give raise to a natural and health drinks. This variant will be pleasantly surprising, refreshing, relaxing for the stomach and the digestive system.

JAM

All the properties of bergamot are, further, present in the bergamot jam. Good on bread, special on cheeses. The variant of bergamot and ginger jam can be used to garnish cheese, meat and fish.

 

OLIVE OIL

You can find, inside Calabrian cuisine, the olive oil flavored with bergamot, obtained only by infusion in organic or non organic olive oil and left to mature for at least a month to absorb all the aromas, aromas and fragrance of bergamot.

 

Olive oil flavoured with Bergamot is a wonderful combination for shellfish and fish, and contrasts the wild smell of meat such as wild boar, hare or pheasant. it can tried with scallops, pork and chicken.
The oil is used as a complement to salads, as well as to enrich sauces and “salmorigli”, excellent also to flavor pasta and filled pasta.

 

PEELINGS

The whole dried Bergamot peelings are handmade, for all the preparations where the use of bergamot peel is expected, especially for the preparation of herbal teas and infusions, of liqueurs and beers. Another possible use of peelings is to aromatize in a simple and natural way Calabrian desserts, or to enhance the aroma of all the sweet preparations.

For example, the preparation of Tea with Bergamot peelings requests pour boiling water in a cup and adding two teaspoons, mix and cover the cup to avoid dispersion of the most volatile aromas. Leaving to infuse for a few minutes, you can obtain a typical Calabrian and Mediteranea drink, advisable to consume without sugar or with honey.

 

CANDIES

It is possible to try Calabrian bergamot candies. In strips, in whole cups and as “bergamottini” (small fruits). Perfect as appetizers, as desserts and ingredients for Calabrian dishes, for desserts or for local ice cream.

 

SYRUP

Bergamot syrups are obtained only from Original Calabrian bergamot. This syrup can be diluted for authentic Mediterannean refreshing drinks, to sweeten teas or herbal teas or to produce delicious preserves, giving a unique aroma, to be used to garnish local sweets, ice cream or smoothies, or to garnish fish dishes.

For example, it is usual the recipe for baked salmon with bergamot, a simple and quick second course to prepare. The syrup can be added on slices or on salmon fillet.

 

HONEY

Calabrian Honey can be flavored with fine and enveloping bergamot. The use of this fragrant honey is very varied, it is mainly used to sweeten, stuff and aromatize sweets and dishes, but it goes very well with cured meats and fresh and aged cheeses.
Honey since ancient times was used as a remedy for almost all health problems. Various studies have shown tha Bergamot honey:

  • It has a decongestant and sedative action against coughing.
  • It offers numerous benefits for blood and heart, in fact it reduces cholesterol, glycemia and triglycerides.
  • It is a powerful natural antibiotic and anti-fungal.
  • It regulates metabolism and helps to control body weight.
  • It offers numerous benefits for the stomach and intestines, in fact it is curative for inflammation and infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
  • It has a diuretic action
  • Rich in benefits for the skin and especially for acne.

It is a genuine honey, without preservatives, harvested from the beehive as ancient tradition, nourishing, not very sweet aromatic and excellent for breakfast or fresh cheeses.

 

LIQUEUR

The bergamot liqueur, often called bergamino, is a Calabrian liqueur typical of the province of Reggio Calabria; it is unique and almost impossible to find. The liqueur of bergamot is obtained by macerating the zest in alcohol for a few days. The infusion is then filtered and mixed with a syrup obtained with water and sugar. It is preferable to consume it fresh to better appreciate its aroma, as after meal or for the preparation of desserts and ice creams. It is eaten iced to better taste its aroma.

A special variant is Bergamot Grappa, it is distilled in a traditional way. The particularity is the union between the intense aromas of grappa and the taste of bergamot, thus giving those who taste it a pleasant sensation of freshness. It is advisable to serve it in a frozen glass at the end of meals.

 

CHOCOLATE

In Calabria you can taste a delicious specialty of craftsmanship, handcrafted, to be enjoyed, offered or given away all year, for sweet moments of pleasure: chocolate flavoured with bergamot. The chocolate, mainly bars, is made with 100% natural ingredients, like the oils extracted directly from the Bergamot.  Further, inside the bars of extra dark chocolate (61% average of pure chocolate) you can find the flavors and aromas of Bergamot and rediscover its versatility.

 

FIGS

Figs at the Bergamot of Reggio Calabria are a tyical mixture. Ingredients are baked figs and molasses of figs with bergamot. These delicious figs are dipped in a delicious fig molasses flavored with a citrus unique in the world.

 

PASTA

“La Fileja” is a typical Calabrese pasta format. The pasta fileja is produced in a traditional way with the best grain, mixed with cold water and dried slowly at a low temperature. Ingredients: Durum wheat semolina, water, natural essence of bergamot. It is excellent for the preparation of first courses based on fish.