Wines from Sicily

A Nerello from the flanks of Etna – radical in its origins, resolute in its form. Alberelli di Giodo is the Sicilian expression of the signature of Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy's most respected Oenologist. The vines are rooted in Contrada Rampante, 950 metres above sea level on the northern slopes of the volcano – one of the most prestigious sites on the north side of Mount Etna. Grown in the traditional Alberello system, the vines stand on mineral-rich, sandy-volcanic soils interspersed with ash, basalt and pumice. They are ancient vines from times before the phylloxera plague – each one a gnarled, living testimony to the volcanic earth.

Graci's fourth vintage Sopra il Pozzo is a "selection from the selection" and comes from the Arcurìa vineyard. It is the red archetype of an Etna Rosso, a Nerello cru with the clear DNA of the volcanic-stony terroir. Light ruby with orange reflections, candied fruit on the nose, cooling firewood, some aniseed and herbs. The palate is silky without being smooth, its subtle wood and delicate acid wire harmonise perfectly with the flanking tannin until the unforgettable, mineral-salty finish. Only 2,300 bottles were bottled. SUPERIORE.DE

The Grand Cru Sopra il Pozzo is Graci's personal homage to a tiny section of land within the Contrada Arcurìa – a higher part, stony, barren, cool, at around 750 metres above sea level. The soil: decomposed lava basalt, ash, pumice. Low in nutrients, but full of energy. Old Nerello Mascalese vines are rooted here in bush form in harmony with the centuries-old cultural landscape of the northern slope of Mount Etna. The 2019 vintage was balanced and significantly cooler than its predecessors, characterised by a long vegetation cycle with late harvest. The result: an Etna Rosso with precise fruit, lively acidity and clear linearity – less volume, more depth. Vinification is classic: spontaneous fermentation with maceration for approx. 30 days, followed by ageing for 24 months in large neutral barrels.

The annual production of this boutique winery on Etna is just 9,000 bottles. At an altitude of 950 metres above sea level, the one and a half hectares of vines are divided into eight tiny plots and have been gradually bought up by the well-known Oenologist. The area is planted with Nerello Mascalese bush vines, which have been spared the phylloxera phylloxera and make their way through the lava-covered terraces.

Tasca d'Almerita recalls the first vintage of their legendary Rosso del Conte from the San Lucio vineyard with this lush Riserva del Conte. Ruby red, the aromas of berries, cherries and spices have wonderfully taken the wood into their midst. A lively taste, dense tannins and an endless finish complete the perfect picture. SUPERIORE.DE

In the silent eternity of Calderara Sottana, where time writes its own laws, lies a sanctuary: La Vigna di Don pep. Here, on barely 0.8 hectares of ancient volcanic soil, the vines have performed a miracle: they survived the great catastrophe of phylloxera, which struck the whole of Europe more than a century ago and destroyed millions of vineyards. These few rows of ungrafted Nerello Mascalese vines, which have been rooted in the stony soil of the elliptical terroir since 1880, are living witnesses to over 140 years of viticultural history. They stand there like aged princesses in a royal garden, their charming wrinkles telling of generations that have seen them come and go, while they themselves have remained steadfast. Don pep, the legendary farmer who dedicated 70 years of his life to these precious vines, recognised their extraordinary nature. He nurtured them with infinite devotion, day after day, year after year, as if he knew he was the guardian of a priceless heritage. His love and understanding for these ancient vines saved them from oblivion - and Marco de Grazia honoured this dedication by giving the vineyard his name.

The Nerello Mascalese vines of Contrada Montedolce were planted in 1975. Almost five decades of roots in volcanic lava sand, north-northeast, 730 to 750 metres. Low yield, high concentration – a depth that younger plants simply cannot reach. 2021 was a dry, concentrated year on Mount Etna – and an exceptionally good one for the Nerello Mascalese: the vines struggled for water, the grapes remained small and the flavour became compact. Davide Rosso harvests by hand in mid-October, vinifies for ten days in stainless steel with daily pumping over and a délestage at half-time. The wine is matured in French oak barrels of various sizes – a deliberately flexible decision that leaves room for the vintage and the parcel to express themselves.

There are wines that exist and those that are virtually unavailable. Piano delle Colombe belongs to the second category – a "phantom wine" made from 750 bottles, a myth made of glass and time, a dream that only materialises for a select few. In the most sublime parcel of the prestigious Contrada San Lorenzo, on just 4,000 square metres of volcanic soil, Giuseppe Russo has created a wine that blurs the boundaries between reality and legend. The name tells a story that is as poetic as the wine itself: Girolamo, Giuseppe's father, claimed with a mischievous smile that the pigeons – "colombe" – always came to this small, flat area of the contrada to steal the very best grapes. "They have better taste than we do," he used to say as he watched the little thieves make their selection among the ancient Alberello vines. What began as a family anecdote became the name of a wine that is now one of the most sought-after treasures in the whole of Etna.

The pure, autochthonous Nerello Mascalese from over 100-year-old (ungrafted) vines in Contrada Rampante on the northern slopes of Mount Etna at an altitude of 950 metres starts with a sparkling ruby-garnet colour and impressively adds a captivating raspberry aroma, followed by fine spicy notes (ginger, allspice, clove). Compact, dense, fully fruity, tannic on the palate, yet always extremely relaxed, elegant and supple. Traces of salt and flint on the finish. Just over 2,000 bottles of this masterpiece are produced every year. SUPERIORE.DE

The vines for Sant'Andrea are rooted at an altitude of around 900 metres in the Contrada of the same name north-east of Solicchiata – one of the highest and coolest wine villages on Etna. It is a place with dramatic vegetation, fog banks, ancient lava layers and unpredictable temperature changes. Here, Carricante develops a completely independent, almost ascetic character. The grapes come from a tiny parcel of old vines, which Pietradolce cultivates with painstaking manual labour. The wine is matured with calm consistency: spontaneous fermentation in large oak barrels, followed by maturation on the fine lees for 12 months in tonneau, then bottle ageing.

In 1975, the Carricante vines were planted, which today bear the Etna Bianco by Giovanni Rosso. Almost five decades of roots in volcanic lava sand, at 730 to 750 metres, exposed to the north-north-east – where the sun has to fight all day and the grapes ripen slowly, cool and with rare aromatic precision. Davide Rosso discovered this spot in 2014 and bought the property two years later. What attracted him was the same logic that guides him in Serralunga: not terroir for the sake of terroir, but one that characterises the wine, without help, without make-up. The soils of the Contrada Montedolce – volcanic sand, ash, mineral-rich subsoil, aerated and drained like hardly any other site on the northern slope – gave him what he was looking for. The old Alberello vines, trained with a double inverted Guyot, bear little. But what they do bear is concentrated. Hand-picked in October. Spontaneous fermentation at cool temperatures in stainless steel for 15 to 20 days. Five months sur lie with weekly bâtonnage. No wood. The vinification is silence – the wine should speak.

In the upper areas of the historic Contrada Rovittello – at an altitude of around 700 metres, on volcanic rock with a high basalt content – the old Nerello Mascalese vines of Il Musmeci take root. Some of them are even over 100 years old, their roots penetrating deep into the barren, mineral-rich soil. The north-eastern flank of Mount Etna provides a cool microclimate with a strong contrast between day and night – decisive for the aromatic precision. The name Il Musmeci is a tribute to the former owner of the parcel, Cav. Santi Musmeci, whose respect for terroir and tradition became the legacy of this wine.

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.

Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita created the first expression of the highest quality and longevity in Sicilian viticulture in 1970 with the Rosso del Conte – a wine that changed the oenological future of the island forever. The grapes come from the Vigna San Lucio, Regaleali's first large vineyard, born in 1959 at an altitude of 480 metres with a south-south-easterly exposure, where Nero d'Avola and Perricone have thrived in harmonious symbiosis for generations. The vines grow in the Alberello system, the oldest form of cultivation in the Mediterranean, on yellow-brown, loamy-sandy soils with calcareous inclusions. A philosophy of perfection that has developed over five decades through various ageing methods: from the original chestnut barrels to Slavonian oak and today's French barriques.

The wine bears the name of its creator – and with good reason. Andrea Franchetti, the pioneer of modern Etna viticulture who sadly died far too early in 2021, dared to do the unthinkable in the early 2000s: he planted international grape varieties at extreme altitudes on a remote lava slope in Passopisciaro with the aim of producing a wine that would not adapt but set new standards. Franchetti is made from Petit Verdot and Cesanese d'Affile in one of the highest and most radiant areas of the volcano. The lava rock, the light, the altitude – everything here seems more concentrated, more intense, magical, almost supernatural.

There are wines that define a region. Pietra Marina is one such wine. When it became the first Etna ever to receive the Tre Bicchieri of the Gambero Rosso in 2007 – and when Benanti was named Winery of the Year in the same year –This was more than just an honour: it marked the birth of the modern Etna Bianco on the world stage. The name itself tells the story: Pietra Marina, sea stone – a word that combines volcanic landscapes, flint, minerality and a salty sea breeze. Since 1991, the first vintage, Giuseppe Benanti has conceived this wine as proof of the potential of the Carricante from Milo. Today it is recognised as one of the most typical, elegant and long-lived white wines in Italy. The grapes come from the uppermost, more porous part of the Contrada Rinazzo – the same location as Contrada Rinazzo, but from a sector with less sandy, more skeletal soil. Here, at an altitude of 800 metres, steep terraces with dry stone walls made of black lava stone look eastwards towards the Ionian Sea, just eight kilometres away. The Alberello vines, some over 90 years old, are rooted in mineral-rich volcanic sand with a sub-acidic profile. Extreme planting densities of 8,000 to 9,000 vines per hectare and yields of just 5,500 kg guarantee concentration. The climate: humid, often snowy in winter, with exceptional ventilation and marked day-night fluctuations.

Deep crimson ruby red colour. On the nose, it smells of raspberries with beautiful concentration, a peppery tingle and perfectly integrated oak. Lively, crushed red berry fruit on the palate with long, finely chiselled tannins. It closes up a little on the finish, so you can expect much more, but for now it is already irresistible. Balanced and very elegant. SUPERIORE.DE

Contrada Sciaranuova Vecchie Vigne is the most concentrated, broodingvoice from the Sciaranuova vineyard - a Nerello Mascalese from vines over 80 years old, grown at an altitude of 730 metres on the northern flank of Mount Etna. The ungrafted vines stand in an amphitheatre of dark, sandy volcanic ash, interspersed with basalt rock and characterised by enormous day-night amplitude. The 2019 vintage was one of the most balanced of the decade: a rainy spring was followed by a moderately warm summer and a dry autumn, which allowed for a late, very differentiated harvest.

Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita created the first expression of the highest quality and longevity in Sicilian viticulture in 1970 with the Rosso del Conte – a wine that changed the oenological future of the island forever. The grapes come from the Vigna San Lucio, Regaleali's first large vineyard, born in 1959 at an altitude of 480 metres with a south-south-easterly exposure, where Nero d'Avola and Perricone have thrived in harmonious symbiosis for generations. The vines grow in the Alberello system, the oldest form of cultivation in the Mediterranean, on yellow-brown, loamy-sandy soils with calcareous inclusions. A philosophy of perfection that has developed over five decades through various ageing methods: from the original chestnut barrels to Slavonian oak and today's French barriques.

Davide Rosso had long since successfully written the Serralunga chapter when he rode up Etna for the first time in 2014. He was not looking for a second mainstay. He was looking for a terroir that would challenge him – as the limestone marl of Serralunga had once challenged him. He found it on the northern slope of the volcano, in the Solicchiata fraction, and bought a 14-hectare estate in Contrada Montedolce in 2016. An old palmento, lava soil, 750 metres above sea level. But he didn't stop there. In 2023, he acquired two more hectares in Contrada Pietra Marina – one of the best white vineyards in the entire Etna region, historically famous for the quality of its Carricante, directly influenced by the nearby Alcantara River. The soils here are a unique mixture: volcanic sand and ash, enriched by fluvial silt and sandstone, shaped by thousands of years of tectonic and hydraulic forces. No other piece of land on Etna offers this specific dual character – volcanic energy and mineral river coolness in one vineyard.

Franchetti Rosso is Passopisciaro's flagship wine and a stunningly perfect wine. The grapes come from 1000-metre-high northern Etna vineyard sites, where the soils are ash and pumice. Franchetti is a ripe, exotic wine that envelops the palate with dark fruit. Refined tannins support the fruit, while an intense inner sweetness adds elegance and finesse. A thoroughly outstanding drop. SUPERIORE.DE

Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita created the first expression of the highest quality and longevity in Sicilian viticulture in 1970 with the Rosso del Conte – a wine that changed the oenological future of the island forever. The grapes come from the Vigna San Lucio, Regaleali's first large vineyard, born in 1959 at an altitude of 480 metres with a south-south-easterly exposure, where Nero d'Avola and Perricone have thrived in harmonious symbiosis for generations. The vines grow in the Alberello system, the oldest form of cultivation in the Mediterranean, on yellow-brown, loamy-sandy soils with calcareous inclusions. A philosophy of perfection that has developed over five decades through various ageing methods: from the original chestnut barrels to Slavonian oak and today's French barriques.