Contrada S. Spirito

"If I have such a fiery spirit, as my friends keep telling me, where better to livec it out than on the largest active volcano in Europe?" asks winery owner Antonio Moretti Cuseri in conversation. He is referring to one of Italy's most sought-after wine-growing hotspots: the vineyards at the foot of the lava-spewing Etna volcano in Sicily, where Antonio's latest project between Passopisciaro and Randazzo is taking promising shape.

The fact that the astute entrepreneur from the fashion and shoe industry is not actually a specialist has certainly not stopped him from getting involved in the Italian wine world. He inherited his entrepreneurial flair from his father, as a result of which his Tuscan wineries, the world-class Tenuta Sette Ponti in Arezzo, Podere Orma in Bolgheri and the enchanting Poggio al Lupo estate in Maremma, have enjoyed sustained success with the production of some top wines.

Antonio Moretti Cuseri is also one of that first wave of non-Sicilian entrepreneurs who became enthusiastic about the island's traditional viticulture and invested early. His magnificent Feudo Maccari winery in Noto was the only southern Italian success story in the Moretti Cuseri family's portfolio until Antonio fell in love with the unique wine-growing region around Etna during his travels and launched his second Sicilian winery.

Contrada Santo Spirito is located at 700 metres above sea level and is planted with Nerello Mascalese. A grape variety that expresses the unmistakable Etna region like no other. This type of viticulture is one of the most impressive in the world, as many of these solitary bush vines have been spared from the phylloxera plague. Their root systems are deeply buried in the subsoil of pebbles, gravel and volcanic ash.

Through the skilful hand of a talented oenological team, after harvesting the ripe grapes in the modern wine cellar, it's time for the finishing touches. In order to achieve an elegant, grippy and at the same time fresh Nerello Mascalese style, the must undergoes a fifteen-day fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine then matures for over a year in large wooden barrels and a further six months in the bottle before the small production is released on the market.

"Muscularity and intensity are qualities we are happy to leave to other producers," they say from the small garage winery. "A nice fullness, but nothing exaggerated, a lot of suppleness, a fine expression of fruit, a discreet use of oak, long and persistent on the finish, but without any heaviness," is how Moretti Cuseri describes his first and only Etna Rosso DOC. In our opinion, the elegant volcanic wine Animaardente - in German "feuriger Geist" - delivers exactly what the fascinating wine-growing region promises.  SUPERIORE.DE