“ There are no words to express my feelings . – says Dr. Librandi – It is a great satisfaction because I think I have been recognized for having been useful to my family, to my company but also to Calabria. I put a lot of passion, a lot of effort into my work, driven by the need to gradually deepen my knowledge of our viticulture, to understand and find a way to contribute to bringing Calabrian wine back to the prominent place it deserves. In the end, I can feel fully satisfied, because I think I have triggered a strong ferment around the world of Calabrian wine and contributed significantly to its rebirth. I sincerely thank the University of Mediterranean Studies of Reggio Calabria for this great honour. It is a recognition that rewards and highlights the meticulous research work that has lasted more than thirty years on the regional wine heritage and which demonstrates the great potential of our wine territory ”.
The ceremony was held in the Quistelli Hall of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria preceded by the Laudatio entrusted to Prof. Francesco Sunseri and by the interventions of Profs. Giovanni Enrico Agosteo, Leonardo Schena and the student Girolamo De Giglio President of the Student Council. The Honorary Research Doctorate in Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences awarded to Dr. Nicodemo Librandi was promoted by the Agricultural Department of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, for his tireless research and innovation activity in the viticulture sector. “ I have had many professional satisfactions – continues Doctor Librandi – but the most important is to see my same passion in my children, grandchildren and collaborators. And then, above all, start over, start over. With increasingly ambitious goals. ” The merits acquired by Dr. Librandi during his professional history are important and were also mentioned in the words reported in the resolution of the Academic Senate: " For his tireless research and innovation activity in the viticulture sector, for having brilliantly coordinated the research in the recovery of Calabrian viticultural biodiversity, for the innovative activities in the vineyard and in the cellar, which are expressed in wines of the highest level and which have made it possible to make the qualities of Calabrian viticulture better known in the world; for these reasons the Council, at the unanimously, approves the proposal to confer on Dr. Nicodemo Librandi, the title of PhD honoris causa in Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences ."
BOOKLETS
For three generations the Librandi family has been the protagonist of Calabrian viticulture. The estates owned by the family have a total of about 350 hectares, of which 232 are vineyards, 80 are olive groves and the remainder are wooded. The six estates of the Librandi family are: Rosaneti (the beating heart of the company), Critone, Ponta Duca Sanfelice, Pittaffo, San Biase and Brisi. Here the work goes to focus above all on native vines of the area. The company has always been exclusively family-run: led until 2012 by the founding brothers Antonio and Nicodemo Librandi, today, the company is led by Nicodemo, Raffaele, Paolo, Francesco and Teresa Librandi.
LIBRANDI – RESEARCH PROJECT
Librandi is a winemaking reality known worldwide for its innovative soul and forerunner in the research and experimentation of native vines, which has fixed, preserved and exalted the winemaking heritage of Calabria. The project, carried out hand in hand with the company's growth and still ongoing today, led to the creation of various experimental vineyards in which about 200 of the regional autochthonous varieties rediscovered during this process are collected, analyzed and preserved. Through the experimental fields and their evolution, the Librandi company aims at a triple objective: the qualitative improvement of the varieties of the territory already vinified; the investigation of the unexpressed potential of the ancient regional vines, with the aim of launching new and unique products as well as the acquisition and conservation, through a historical and scientific study, of the regional viticultural heritage. Most of the company's experimental fields have been planted on the Rosaneti estate, among others: the varietal garden with its characteristic spiral shape ; the first seedling fields and those of mass and clonal selection. One of the new frontiers of research, opened also and above all by clonal selection work, is the study of the interaction between rootstocks and European varieties. An experimental field for comparison between 22 rootstocks grafted with an identical Gaglioppo clone (massal and clonal selection) was then planted on the Arcidiaconato estate, in an extremely homogeneous area in terms of soil and exposure.
Through the experimental fields and their evolution, the Librandi company aims at a triple objective: the qualitative improvement of the varieties of the territory already vinified; the investigation of the unexpressed potential of the ancient regional vines, with the aim of launching new and unique products as well as the acquisition and conservation, through a historical and scientific study, of the regional viticultural heritage.