The Melissa DOC is an appellation in the province of Crotone, in Calabria. It was born in 1979. It has about 14 hectares, with an output of 1,010 hectolitres. It has two styles, a white and a red, plus the red Superiore.
A medal in 1934
In 1934 a bottle of Melissa was presented at the third National Agricultural Exhibition in Florence, where it won the first official qualification diploma, with the gold medal.
The white and the red
The Bianco comes from between 80 and 95% Greco Bianco, with between 5 and 20% Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano Toscano. The Rosso comes from between 75 and 95% Gaglioppo, completed with between 5 and 25% Greco Bianco, Greco Nero, Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano Toscano. The Superiore ages at least two years and is released from 1 November of the second year after the harvest. The minimum alcohol is 11.5%.
