San Marco Argentano – Abbey Wines Calabria

Abbey Wines arrives for the first time in Calabria and chooses the Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria della Matina in San Marco Argentano (CS) to present, on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, a preview of the national edition that will take place in June in the Borgo di Fossanova, Priverno (LT).

Abbey Wines Calabria

Created in the wake of the success of the national edition held in Lazio, the Calabrian leg of Vini d’Abbazia aims to enhance the link between monastic culture and viticulture, bringing historical production experiences and contemporary territorial identities into dialogue.

For two days, La Matina Abbey will become a meeting place for wine enthusiasts, wine professionals and producers, through a tasting itinerary that interweaves spirituality, history and wine. The protagonists will be labels from Italian abbeys, flanked by the productions of Calabrian protection consortia, in a confrontation that crosses territories, grape varieties and traditions.

The program will consist of tasting counters and in-depth moments, offering the public the opportunity to discover both the historical dimension of monastic viticulture and the contemporary evolution of Calabrian wine. Guided tastings – entrusted to wine professionals – will take participants on a sensory journey dedicated to native grape varieties and their most representative expressions.

Vini d’Abbazia takes the form of a cultural project that restores centrality to the role of abbeys in the preservation of Europe’s wine-growing heritage, reviving its value today through dialogue with territories.

An institutional strategy for the area’s wine renaissance

The first Calabrian edition of Vini d’Abbazia (Abbey Wines) is part of a context of strong dynamism for the regional wine sector, the result of an institutional strategy that focuses firmly on the promotion of its agri-food excellence.

The initiative is supported by the Region of Calabria and ARSAC (Azienda Regionale per lo Sviluppo dell’Agricoltura Calabrese, or Regional Agency for the Development of Calabrian Agriculture), as part of a broader plan to strengthen the territory’s role in the panorama of major international wine events.

In this direction are strategic choices that have brought landmark events such as Vinitaly and the City and Merano WineFestival to Calabria, helping to consolidate the region’s image as a high-profile destination.

“Vini d’Abbazia Calabria is part of a path that has already begun to enhance and promote the regional wine sector,” says Calabria Region Agriculture Councillor Gianluca Gallo. “The intense activity put in place in recent years is yielding concrete results, helping to strengthen Calabria’s positioning in the reference circuits of quality wine. In this context, initiatives such as this one take on a strategic value: they not only promote our productions, but also tell their deep roots, interweaving identity, history and contemporary capacity for innovation. It is through this balance that Calabria can consolidate its attractiveness and establish itself more and more as a major wine tourism destination “.

The Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria della Matina

The heart of the event will be the Matina Abbey, a complex of great historical and architectural value nestled in the landscape of inland Calabria. Founded in 1065 by Robert Guiscard, the abbey represents significant evidence of the monastic presence in the area and its function as a spiritual and agricultural center, offering, between the chapter house and millennia-old cloisters, a solemn and timeless breath.

“Thanks to the support of the Region of Calabria, we were able to host in the Abbey of Santa Maria della Matina the first edition in southern Italy of Vini d’Abbazia,” says Michele Valentoni, owner of the abbey and La Matina winery. “It is a source of pride for me to have made this place available, helping to enhance a reality that is still little known but perfectly inserted in a national circuit of great importance.”
“The initiative represents not only an important promotional opportunity, but a real opportunity for meeting and shared appreciation,” adds Judith Sandonato, organizational soul and communications manager. “An authentic experience that connects culture, history and wine production even geographically distant.”

Tickets available:

Tickets for Wines of Abbey Calabria are available online, with the option to purchase admission for individual days: https://vinidabbazia.com/eventi/