Lamezia is a DOC of the Calabria wine region in southern Italy. It was introduced in December 1978, a few months before the Melissa DOC across the Calabrian peninsula on the Taranto Gulf coast. Despite this relative maturity Lamezia wines remain relatively unknown, a problem from which other Calabria DOCs also suffer.
The wines made under the Lamezia title come in red, white and rose (rosato) forms. The reds account for the majority of production and are made from Sicilian red varieties Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio, accompanied by local reds such as Gaglioppo, Greco Nero, Nocera and Calabrese (Nero d'Avola). Their white counterparts use Greco Bianco, Malvasia Bianca and Ansonica grapes. The Lamezia rosato wines, which are made from the same varieties as the reds, are relatively scarce, making up only a small percentage of the DOC's output.
A novello (young) variant is available in the rosso wines, an early-release, early-drinking style similar to that of Beaujolais Nouveau; at the other end of the spectrum are the riservas. A Lamezia rosso is at least two years old before commercial release, and has spent at least six months of that time in barrel.
The wines are made at vineyards which lie just south of Lamezia Terme, a town near the western Calabrian coast. There is a break in the southern Apennines here, before their last appearance at the tip of Italy around Reggio di Calabria. The mountains run almost unbroken for 150 miles between central Campania and Lamezia, so this is an area of topographical significance. This is also the narrowest part of the region, and in fact the whole of Italy, spanning less than 20 miles (30km) between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts. Despite rising to 1200ft (366m) in the very centre of the peninsula, this area is relatively flat when compared with the Sila plateau to the north, which rises to almost 6000ft (1830m). This results in a sometimes tempestuous climate, as winds sweep from west to east across the Mediterranean and are channeled through the narrow gap in the mountains.
The close proximity of the Mediterranean is important to the terroir here, as the mass of water helps to moderate the intense heat of the south Italian summer. The name Il Mezzogiorno, meaning 'The Midday', is often applied to Italy's southern half in reference to this persistent heat. The cooling and heating of the land over the course of a summer day causes morning and afternoon breezes, which minimize the risk of fungal vine diseases and further improve the climate's suitability for quality viticulture.
Some Lamezia vineyards take advantage of the slightly increased altitude at the edges of the DOC catchment. They line the hillsides between Maiolino on the coast and Lamezia Terme itself, even extending up into the hills near Falerna (not to be confused with Falerna in Campania, of Falernian fame). Just over the hills from here is the Scavigna DOC.
