Nerello

Contrada Rampante grows on the highest vineyard of Passopisciaro. The soils have a higher sand content and the harvest takes place later here. On the nose, dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Rampante is an elegant, energetic and dynamic red with clear fruit and silky tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Passopisciaro's Contrada C is an exquisite red with a dark sensual fruit bouquet. Stylistically like a great Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo, of remarkable intensity on the palate until the lingering final. A muscular and weightless wine at the same time. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby garnet colour, fine violet and rose notes and many spices in the bouquet. Dense and compact with taut tannin and sweet fruit melt. Given time, this captivating red is at the beginning of a long, promising development. SUPERIORE.DE

Rampante lies high up on the northern slope of Mount Etna, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres – one of the coolest sites in Passopisciaro's portfolio. The vines grow on young, porous lava rock, which is rich in minerals and gives the wine a striking verticality and salinity. Nerello Mascalese shows its most delicate, tautest expression here. The vinification follows the usual house style: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration and approx. 18 months maturation in large, used wooden barrels.

Chiappemacine lies below the famous Guardiola parcel, at an altitude of around 550 metres – a comparatively warm and wind-protected section by Etna standards, with broodingsoils consisting of quarried lava and ash. These conditions give the Nerello Mascalese from here a darker fruit, softer tannins and a more open character. The vines are around 80 years old and, as with all Contrada wines, the wine is aged for around 18 months in large, used wooden barrels.

Chiappemacine is the lowest of the five single vineyards of Passopisciaro – only 550 metres above sea level, at the lowest foothills of the Etna lava flows. Here, where the thin layer of lava meets a limestone bed to which the roots of the 70 to 100-year-old Nerello vines penetrate, a different style emerges: fuller, rounder, more accessible than the higher-lying contrade. This small domain covers just 1.2 hectares – but what grows here has its own personality. Fermented in steel tanks, matured for 18 months in large neutral oak barrels – a minimalist vinification that lets the terroir speak for itself.

Contrada Guardiola is one of the most iconic vineyards on the northern slope of Mount Etna. A high-altitude plot between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level, where the extreme microclimate, the old bush vines and the ash, lava and pumice soils allow for an expression that is as raw as it is fascinating. The vines are deeply rooted in the porous rock and produce small-berried Nerello Mascalese grapes with an impressive aromatic concentration. The 2022 vintage was characterised by a dry spring and moderate temperatures in summer, with a late harvest that brought structure and freshness into balance. The wine is aged for 18 months in large, neutral barrels.

The Contrada Porcaria lies significantly lower than Rampante, at an altitude of around 650 metres, where the northern slope of Mount Etna is more powerful and warmer. The soil is older, darker, denser – and Nerello Mascalese here produces wines of impressive substance, with darker fruit, grippier tannins and more immediate presence. Passopisciaro's vinification remains deliberately restrained: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration, ageing in large, used oak barrels for around 18 months.

The four wines resulting from the collaboration between Dolce & Gabbana and Donnafugata show attention to detail and unconditional love for Sicily. They are the perfect expression of two top companies "Made in Italy". They represent the aesthetic fusion of craftsmanship, creativity and Sicilian passion. Together, they have created a unique collection of wines and packaging that emotionally capture Sicilian culture and lifestyle and express a clear commitment to the beauty and tradition of Sicily.

Sciaranuova lies at an altitude of just under 850 metres on the northern slope of Mount Etna, one of the coolest and at the same time most fascinating vineyards in the region. The site is characterised by young, porous lava flows that force the roots deep down and at the same time ensure extreme drainage. In the coolness of this altitude, the Nerello Mascalese ripens more slowly, with fine phenolic maturity and a distinctive acid structure. Vinification follows the familiar principle: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration, ageing in large used barrels.

"Sciara nuova" – new lava. The name reveals the special nature of this contrada at an altitude of 850 metres: the vines are rooted in a geologically young lava flow from the 17th century, which has turned into coarse, dense gravel. This tiny site in the village of Randazzo, known for its excellent vineyards and pistachio groves, covers just one hectare. Around 2,000 bottles are produced here every year, and the result is one of the most complex and fascinating wines in the Passopisciaro portfolio. Fermented in steel tanks, matured for 18 months in large neutral oak barrels – the minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak unadulterated.

Guardiola is the heart of the estate – this is where the winery is located and Franchetti's own plot of land. An old domain between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level, on the edge of the lava flow from the devastating 1947 eruption. The Nerello vines, which are over 100 years old, are deeply rooted in this mineral-rich soil, which was characterised by the most recent major eruption. Guardiola has only been vinified separately since 2011 – a careful selection of the oldest vines, which produce a deep, complex wine with a rich red fruit flavour. Fermented in steel tanks, 18 months in large neutral oak barrels: The minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak for itself.

At the absolute limit of viticulture on Mount Etna, where the air becomes thin and the vines reach their biological limits, lies Rampante – the highest contrada of Passopisciaro at exactly 1,000 metres above sea level. This is no ordinary vineyard. This is a place where only the hardiest, oldest Nerello Mascalese vines can survive. Vines that now number over a century and claim the longest ripening period of all Etna vineyards every autumn. Andrea Franchetti realised as soon as he arrived in 2000 that Rampante had something special: Here, where the ancient lava has crumbled into fine sand, the most aromatic, airiest of all Passopisciaro wines is produced. The name means "climbing, ascending" - and that is exactly what this wine does: it rises up from volcanic dust, carried by the coolness of the altitude, animated by the clarity of the mountain air.

Between 60,000 and 15,000 years BC, Mount Etna eroded its old centre – the Ellittico eruptive complex collapsed in on itself. What remains are some of the oldest surface soils on the volcano that can still be cultivated. Subsequent lava flows buried the older layers beneath them; only small, rare plots of the Ellittico survived on the surface. On the northern side of Mount Etna, there are three contrade with pure Ellittico terroir: Bocca d’Orzo, Calderara and San Lorenzo. Three out of hundreds. Calderara – the name evokes warmth. The stones here, fist-sized and light, a mixture of black pumice and basalt, absorb the sun’s heat during the day and slowly release it back into the soil during the cold nights. Without this invisible thermal balance, the ripening process at an altitude of 600 to 650 metres would be quite different. Don pep, who tended these vineyards for seventy years, found the most precise word to describe the wines from this site: ‘cremosi’. It’s true – and it couldn’t be put any better.

The youngest Nerello vines here are rooted in old volcanic soil: Pietradolce Rosso comes from plots in Solicchiata on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, around 600 metres above sea level. The terroir, a mixture of ash, basalt and sand, gives the wine a precise structure and striking minerality. Clear ruby red in colour with light reflections. Fragrant on the nose and typical of young Nerello Mascalese: Sour cherry, redcurrant, some blood orange and a hint of violet. Lean, fresh and taut on the palate with lively acidity and grippy tannins that blend harmoniously with the juicy fruit. The finish is straightforward, spicy and characterised by a fine mineral salinity. An authentic Etna Rosso with a clear signature – accessible and direct, but anything but arbitrary. SUPERIORE.DE

Contrada Feudo is located on the northern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of around 650 metres, where the vines are rooted in volcanically mixed, sandy and stony soils. Some of the plots with Nerello Mascalese are over 70 years old and deliver concentrated but cool fruit year after year. 2021 was a classic vintage on Etna with a pronounced balance: not too hot, not too humid – ideal conditions for a precise style. The wine is aged for around 16 months in used tonneaux, which emphasises the characteristics of the vineyard and refines the tannin structure.

Solicchiata, northern slope of Mount Etna, 800 metres. The Faro family has dug deep into the volcano here since 2005 – literally, because the sandy soils of weathered lava rock allow roots to travel far. 100% Nerello Mascalese, Alberello, vines between 50 and 65 years old. Hand-picked, two weeks of maceration, three months in fine-grained oak barrels. Not a wood wine – a classic red volcanic wine.

Bright ruby red colour. Refined raspberry and red cherry on the nose, with notes of quinine and flowers that develop with further aeration. Fresh flavours of red berries and smoked beef, with hints of violets and orange zest. Almost exotic on the palate with plenty of luscious extract sweetness and fine tannins and a fresh, mineral, dry finish. An exceptional red wine with a terrificarc of tension! SUPERIORE.DE

Around 2,000 bottles of this single-vineyard wine are sold each year. Extremely complex bouquet of blackberry, blackcurrant and sour cherry, with perfectly integrated notes of Mediterranean herbs. Broad and elegant on the palate, supported by a delicate acid wire that makes it fresh and lively. A great wine with excellent structure and remarkable persistence and depth of flavour. SUPERIORE.DE

There are stories that the volcano itself has written – with fire, time and the inexorable force of geological eras. Feudo di Mezzo is one such story: once a coherent contrada, it was torn in two by Etna's explosive fury and has borne its name ever since, like a reminder of that night when glowing lava flows divided the land and "di Mezzo" – in the centre – a place between two worlds. Giuseppe Russo has created his most complex and ambitious red wine from this dramatic testimony to the terroir. He selected just 0.76 hectares of the very best plot for this extraordinary wine, where hundred-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines sink their gnarled trunks into the volcanic earth like sculptures. Here, at an altitude of 670 metres in Castiglione di Sicilia, the unique microclimate that prompted the ancient Greeks to plant their first vines here prevails. A terroir so extraordinary that history itself has chosen it as a wine-growing region.

L'amore mio – my love. Rarely does a wine carry its character so openly in its name. This rosé spumante is Benanti's declaration of love for the Nerello Mascalese – the noble red grape variety that is otherwise synonymous with elegant red wines with a Burgundian grace on Etna. As Metodo Classico, it reveals a completely different, no less enchanting side. The grapes come from the south and south-east slopes of the volcano, where the vines are rooted between 700 and 750 metres in mineral-rich volcanic sands. Hand-picked, whole bunch pressing without destemming, fermentation at 16–18 °C in stainless steel. The base wine rests on the fine lees until late spring, followed by bottle fermentation with selected yeasts. After 24 months on the lees, disgorgement and dosage take place; a further three months of rest complete the maturation.

There are pyramids in the Vigna Iannazzo. Not the Egyptian ones – small, hand-built towers made of black lava, which farmers stacked out of the fields for centuries when clearing the land for farming. Each stone was carried, each tower layered, without mortar, using the ancient dry stone walling technique. The Piramidi dell'Etna – as they are called – are today one of the silent, unmistakable landmarks of the Cottanera vineyards. And they stand right here: in the Vigna Iannazzo, a named single vineyard within the Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, one of the recognised MGAs of Castiglione di Sicilia.

Five years of patience for a moment in a glass. When Donnafugata and Dolce&Gabbana decided to crown their Sicilian congeniality with a sparkling wine in 2019, they knew that a Metodo Classico of this calibre needed time. The grapes – exclusively Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of Mount Etna – were harvested in the autumn, when nobody could have guessed how long the journey would take. 36 months on the lees, another two years of waiting. Release in spring 2025.

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.