Grottino di Roccanova DOC is one of the youngest denominations in Italy, established in July 2009. The production area covers the province of Potenza and the DOC includes red, white and rosé wines.
The area affected by the Grottino di Roccanova DOC denomination focuses on the three municipalities of Sant’Arcangelo, Castronuovo di Sant’Andrea and Roccanova. This area is relatively limited and the hilly nature of the land located between the mountains of the southern Apennines creates the ideal conditions for grape growing.
As archaeological excavations have taught us, the winemaking tradition in Roccanova boasts distant origins. It seems that in indigenous tombs dating back to the 4th-5th centuries BC, containers were found that were used for drinking and storing wine. These finds are now exhibited at the National Museum of Siritide in Policoro. There is also a reference to the wine production of the Val d’Agri valley in the writings of Pliny the Elder. In fact, in his Naturalis Historia he writes that excellent wines called “Lagarini” were produced in the vicinity of Grumentum. It can be assumed that these wines were produced in Roccanova, since some scholars have placed the city of Lagaria in this area, a city founded by Epeo and famous for the fine wines mentioned by Pliny.
Grottino di Roccanova DOC is stored in cave-cellars, a series of tunnels dug into the rock of the “sandstone temples”, where, thanks to the constant temperature and humidity levels, the organoleptic characteristics of the wine remain unchanged over time. These caves (about 350) are located on the outskirts of the town of Roccanova (in the districts of Prato, Piscicolo, Manca, Carazita, Mannara), some of them dating back to 1700. According to some hypotheses it seems that the name of the wine itself derives from the characteristic places where it has always been stored (‘Grottino’ means ‘small cave’).
There are various events dedicated to Grottino di Roccanova DOC that take place both during the winter and the summer season.