When you talk with Paolo Ippolito, the first thing you notice is his desire to communicate his territory in a different way.
His bond with it is strong. You clearly perceive the desire — I would even say a kind of urgency — to make people experience Calabria the way it truly deserves.
Yet Paolo and his winery — Ippolito 1845 — do not stop at the usual, predictable image of Calabria.
When I look at the bottles and packaging of Mare Chiaro, Pecorello and Pescanera, my impression is of a Calabria that wants to present itself in an innovative way, with wines that are at once engaging and highly enjoyable, but also with a strong attention to aesthetics and an appeal that cannot go unnoticed.
Then you return to the classic Calabria, the one expressed through traditional labels and the intense colors of Gaglioppo in Ripe del Falco (I confess it is one of my favorite red wines), a testimony to the winery’s deep connection with its territory and its history.
Spending time with Paolo is a bit like riding a roller coaster. You start one way and end somewhere completely different.
You begin the day on the beach and finish it on the sofa, sipping one of his reserves.
One thing is certain: you will never be bored.
