The ancient Greeks called Calabria 'Enotria', the land of wine, and Calabrian wines were offered to the winners of the Olympics. In more recent times, between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the wine production of ancient origins suffered a severe blow due to Phylloxera which decimated the vine heritage of Calabria. For many years after that, Calabrian wines were used mainly as blending wines, but lately, thanks to the stubbornness of some local Calabria winemakers, the quality level has risen considerably.