Scavigna is a DOC of the Calabria wine region in southern Italy. It covers red, white and rose wines from the hills above Falerna Marina, on Calabria's western coastline. The title was introduced in 1994, just after San Vito di Luzzi, from the Crati Valley further north in the hills. Its catchment area covers a relatively small patch of land previously untouched by a DOC, where the Savuto and Lamezia zones are separated by just a few miles of hills.
The two communes are named Nocera Terinese and Falerna, and the latter is no relation to Falerna, home of Campania's ancient Falernian wine. The high plateau between the two communes is home to the majority of Scavigna's wine production. This plateau, approximately 1.5 miles across, basks in the southern Italian sun, cooled slightly by the presence of the Tyrrhenian Sea below. It is densely covered by vineyards, which run right to the top of its steep slopes. The northernmost vines perch at just over 2000ft (610m) and peer down into the valley below, where Nocera Terinese village is located. Below the vines, particularly on the north-western slopes, are rows of neatly terraced olive groves – the lifeblood of Campania's economy. This plateau represents the south-western tip of La Sila, a large plateau which covers almost half of northern Calabria and reaches its summit at the 6325ft (1928m) La Sila peak.
Scavigna wines come in basic red (rosso), white (bianco) and rose (rosato) forms, without corresponding quality levels such as superiore or riserva. The red and rose wines are made from the classic Calabrian red variety Gaglioppo and its Sicilian counterpart Nerello Cappuccio, from the volcanic vineyards around Mount Etna. Scavigna bianco (white) is made from a slightly less local collection of grapes, including the ubiquitous and international Chardonnay, and Trebbiano Toscano, one of Italy's most widely planted white wine grape varieties. Greco Bianco and Malvasia Bianca hold the local end up, despite their proportions being limited to 20% and 10% respectively.
The Tyrrhenian Sea and large Sila Plateau are vital factors in creating the viticulturally suited mesoclimate here. The sheer volume of water surrounding the Calabrian peninsula is a vital component in the local terroir – it helps to moderate the intense heat of south Italian summer afternoons, without which this area would be too hot and arid for quality winegrowing. The water also helps generate morning breezes as the land warms up, and afternoon breezes as it cools down later in the day. The topography of the western Sila slopes is valuable too: it helps to channel these air movements up and down the valleys. This provides a more stable environment in which to grow healthy vines; breezes such as these are vital in preventing fungal diseases in otherwise humid climates.
