Cote di Franze Ciro Bianco

This week’s crush reminds us that making natural wine isn't a new trend, it's a way of making wine that, in some regions, is as ancient as wine itself. The first member of the Scilanga family to start making wine in Calabria was born in 1701. That's a very very long time to be making wine, cultivating, from generation to generation, a deep respect for the land and the vines that grow there.

Located at the very southern tip of Italy’s boot, the Cote di Franze winery grows only indigenous varietals. The Scilanga siblings, Vincenzo and Francesco, now run the winery for their family and are deeply vested in maintaining natural winemaking practices in both vineyard and cellar, and in honoring their long family history. Their motto (which we could use more of on this planet, we think) is: care for the soil because it's our resource, care for the landscape because we live there.

Their Bianco is 100% Greco Bianco, a varietal that originally came from Greece and primarily grows along the Ionian sea. It’s a gape known for its long, loose conical shaped clusters, sort of like what you’d imagine a chiseled ancient god would adorn themselves with in a bronze sculpture. The family's wine making philosophy shines through their wine: peachy and bright, with dazzling minerality and a slight salinity that pairs well with raw or grilled fish, lemony veggies, fresh tomatoes—basically all those mid-August foods we’re trying to get in our mouths while we can. So have your fill, friends!