ETNA: wines from the Volcan. Wine from the Past.

3300 mt OF ROUGH LANDSCAPES, IN A PIECE OF LAND BEATEN BY THE ELEMENTS IN THE HEART OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. THEATER OF A BOLD VITICULTURE THAT GIVES AUTHENTIC AND EXPRESSIVE WINES.

Etna: a territory with an archaic charm.

Proud, haughty, unpredictable and unfriendly. The impetuousness of nature has shaped Etna a landscape with a harsh face, marked by cavernous furrows and wrinkled reliefs, an arcane theatre of the clash between elements of nature. Fiery lava, transformed by the air into hard stone, sinks into the depths of a cobalt sea. Enamelled turquoise sky, frosted by the incessant wind. The violent sun pierces the clear atmosphere of the altitude with an insolent attitude. Fast clouds curiously caress the solitary peak of the mountain. A land that does not like compromises and cannot leave you indifferent—clear, dense and compact colours. There is no room for frivolous shades, here dominate the dark and rough black of the lava, the green of the pines and chestnuts, and the floating silver of the olive trees shaken by the wind. A threatening land, compressed and then exploded from the sea to the sky. A volcano on the edge of an island, in the centre of the Mediterranean, the black heart of its fascinating history, myths and legends.

Etna viticulture

Here, old sinuous and twisted vines, and wooden living sculptures, sink their deep roots among sands and stones, desperate for precarious survival. The most beautiful vineyards of Etna have the charm of a harmonious disorder, of the spontaneous randomness of nature, which rebels, and wins every attempt at domestication. Each plant has its own unique and extraordinary shape and history. Lava stone terraces that indulge, lazy and intermittent, the irregular profile of the mountain, misaligned rows, cacti and olive trees that interrupt the vineyard, claiming the ancestral right to inhabit that place. We are far from the linear geometry, cold and aseptic, of the new espalier systems. Indeed, when you meet such vineyards on the volcano, you hardly believe it. This is the magnetic and dark charm of the volcano, of that black cone of lava that the eye cannot avoid. Always present on the horizon, a monolith changing in the sunlight.

Lava wines

The wines of Etna are children of this extreme land and carry their uncompromising nature in their glass. Whites do not know the accommodating postmodern softness, but the lashing, citrusy and salty acidity of the Carricante, which sinks deep and sharp like a Turkmen scimitar. The reds do not have the reassuring and harmonious character of many wines created on an - presumed - international style, but an essential and austere profile. They have the delicacy of small wild fruits that overlook the shade of the smoked rock, herbs from the Mediterranean scrub and refined spices. Acidity and tannins claim their space with bare vigor, far from being domesticated and sweetened. This expressive authenticity makes Etna wines unique. A small territory capable of producing great excellences, the more it remains faithful to itself and its vines: pure Carricante for the whites, Nerello Mascalese, possibly with a small percentage of Nerello Cappuccio for the reds.

The word terroir is often abused in the story of wine, but it seems to have been created thinking of Etna, its millenary traditions, and its centuries-old vineyards suspended between the sky and the sea. The uniqueness of a microclimate blends the sensual warmth of the Mediterranean with the cold of the mountains, generating thermal excursions that are harbingers of intense aromas. The soils poured from the Mongibello cone are different from each other, like so many children of the same mother. New and old, one next to the other, forged by fire in a uniformity that is only apparent. The black mantle of lava slowly unveils the differences of its dark textures, the precious warps woven of young rocks, old stones and thin sands, which conceal the memory of a distant past, now crumbled and lost in time.

How does Etna affect its wine?

The history of Etna's autochthonous vines has its roots far back in the centuries if not, even, in the millennia. If you want to fully understand the peculiarities and the special nature of the indigenous vines of this territory, you need to know the mountain well, and the history of what is the highest volcano in Europe (3300mt). We have news of important vines since the time of the Greeks and Romans. And today, these vines are still cultivated with the traditions of the past taking from modernity only what is strictly necessary. If you find yourself walking in the Etna area, between the areas of Mascali and Randazzo, you will be able to admire vineyards with centuries-old history. In particular, between Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia, about 37% of Etna wines are produced: unique wines precisely because the territories from which they are born are unique.

But how does a territory like that of Etna influence the tastes and scents of the wines produced there? There are several factors that you must take into consideration if you really want to understand why these wines are so special and truly unrepeatable.

The first factor is definitely the terrain. The volcanic sands that distinguish these areas are soils without calcium and also poor in nitrogen and phosphorus. Instead, they are rich in potassium, iron and copper and these are details that do not just "mineralize" all the wines of Etna. The proximity of the sea is another factor that greatly affects the wines of Etna as well as the average temperatures of the place which are lower than what happens in the rest of Sicily. At certain times of the year, especially between spring and summer, you can witness significant temperature variations between day and night (up to 30 ° C). All these climatic differences between one area and another derive essentially from the truncated cone surface of the cultivated areas. The climate affects the cultivation of vines not only the temperatures but also the rain. To the east of the volcano, it rains more than it does, however, to the west. The vineyards, however, cope with these circumstances without problem since the volcanic soil is very draining. But the amount of minerals absorbed and, consequently, the taste of each product depends on the amount of rain received.

Ultimately, if you know the wines of Etna you will know for sure that they are all characterized by acidity and flavour as well as by the high presence of minerals due to the volcanic soil and one thing is certain: in the northern area of ​​Etna wines are produced that they are among the best in Sicily. For the general quality, then, the wines of Etna do not fear even the greatest international wines.

What are the main native vines of Etna?

Nerello Mascalese

Nerello Mascalese is certainly the main among all the native vines of Etna. Initially, it was a vine cultivated only and exclusively in the provinces of Catania and Messina. Today it has also found space in other provinces, such as that Trapani or Agrigento. Not surprisingly, Nerello Mascalese is the second most popular on the island, second only to Nero d'Avola. Nerello Mascalese is a vine belonging to the Nigrelli group and you can hear it called the Sicilian term Niureddu Mascalisi, from the name of the place where it is produced, or Mascali. Its birth is lost in the mists of time, but its presence in the plain of the municipality of Mascali dates back to at least four centuries ago. It is grown, in fact, between 350 and 1,050 meters above sea level and has a late ripening. In fact, it is harvested in the second half of October. The grapes are vinified in red with long maceration on the skins. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is decanted into small 225-litre barrels where it remains for over a year and then continues its refinement in the bottle for 8-10 months. The wine obtained has a fairly deep ruby-red colour with a marked hint of violet, on the palate, it has a fair tannicity accompanied by harmonious and pleasant sensations in which olfactory sensations of red fruit, flowers and spices predominate. The wines obtained from the vinification of this vine have great variability depending on the slope of the volcano in which it is cultivated, they have a high alcohol content (13-14 °) and are destined for long ageing. If you were to find yourself with a glass of Nerello Mascalese in your hand, you should, first of all, enjoy the sensations it can give you on the nose. It is a spicy red and you can feel the notes of tobacco, flowers, liquorice and red fruits. In the mouth you will immediately feel its great texture and you will notice the persistent flavour of liquorice. Nerello Mascalese is one of the most acidic Etna wines you can find, distinguished among other things by rather important alcoholic grades. How can you combine this wine on the table? Nerello Mascalese is certainly the ideal choice to accompany dishes such as roasts, game and aged cheese. Vinified in purity it presents:

Colour: ruby ​​red with garnet shades.

Bouquet: ethereal, fruity, spicy, with hints of tobacco and vanilla.

Taste: dry, full, tannic, harmonious, persistent with liquorice aroma.

Nerello Cappuccio or Mantellato

Speaking of Nerello Cappuccio or Mantellato in Sicilian land, you can hear it called Mantiddatu Niuru or Niureddu Ammattidatu. This vine owes its name to the rather strange bearing of the plant. The leaves, in fact, seem to protect every single bunch as if they were a mantle or, precisely, a hood. The origins of these vines are still unknown and today, due to the abandonment by numerous winemakers, it is at serious risk of extinction. The ideal side of Etna for the cultivation of Nerello Cappuccio is the east/southeast one at an altitude that is always between 350 and 900 meters above sea level. Just like Nerello Mascalese, Mantellato also has a late ripening as it is normally harvested between the second week of September and the first of October. The result is a wine that smells of fruit and spices with strong accents that recall wood and vanilla. And what will you taste to taste? The flavour of this wine will immediately seem dry and acidic with a notable persistence of an aroma of red fruits. Although belonging to the same variety, it has, however, significantly different characteristics compared to Nerello Mascalese, in particular as regards the content of aromas and polyphenols, so it is considered the ideal complement to the first. Vinified in purity it gives ready wines, for medium ageing with an alcohol content varying between 13 ° and 13.5 ° and presents:

Colour: bright ruby ​​red with faint purple hues

Bouquet: of red fruit, full, with hints of vanilla.

Taste: dry, rightly acidic, slightly tannic, harmonious, good persistence with red fruit aroma.

Alcohol content: 13-13.5% vol.

It goes well with red meats and aged cheeses.

Carricante

Carricante is among the oldest wines produced on Etna. In fact, this vine has been cultivated on the volcano for about a thousand years and, therefore, has a long history behind it. It is a white wine in which you can find concentrated all the main essences of Sicily. The origins of the Carricante fall around the municipality of Viagrande and are easily cultivated at heights between 950 and 1,050 meters above sea level. In Sicily, you will hear this wine called the Sicilian term "Carricanti". The name, in particular, is due to one of the main characteristics of this vine, which is great productivity. It is therefore a variety that produces a lot. Carricante is a white wine that stands out, like most of the native wines of Etna, for a late ripening. In fact, it is normally harvested in the second half of October, a bit like the Nerello Mascalese. By subjecting the Carricante to the test of smell, you will surely smell a scent of apple, anise and orange blossom. Always cultivated exclusively on the slopes of the volcano on its eastern side, usually in the higher districts where the Nerello Mascalese hardly ripened or in the lower vineyards together with the same Nerello Mascalese and with the white Minnella (another native cultivar). The pulp is juicy, and the taste is simple and sweet. It is a vine that produces wines characterized by a low potassium content, a high fixed acidity and a high content of malic acid so that every year it is necessary to make the wine carry out the malolactic process in a complete manner. In this regard, just think that in past centuries winemakers used to leave the wine produced with Carricante grapes in barrels with the lees in order to favour malolactic fermentation and dampen the accentuated acidity. typical of this wine. Although the production disciplinarian allows the blending with other white grape varieties, Carricante grapes are generally vinified in purity constituting 100% Etna Bianco DOC (even if) which has:

Colour: straw yellow with green hues

Bouquet: intense and delicate, fruity, with hints of apple

Taste: dry with a pleasant acidity and a very pleasant aromatic persistence

Alcoholic content: 12 °.

It has a marked citrus scent, as well as herbaceous and mineral ones. In some cases, the Carricante is worked on the lees and also acquires a pleasant hint of honey. You will certainly not be able to resist its taste and you can combine it with extreme satisfaction of the palate with all fish dishes.

The Minnella

The so-called Minnella is also among the main indigenous vines of the Etna area. A grape with a particular name that derives from the Sicilian Minna and which essentially originates from the elongated shape of the berries that is somewhat reminiscent of that of a woman's breast. Minna, in fact, in Sicilian means just breast. Curious about the Sicilian name? Simply Minnedda Janca, where the term Janca translates as white to identify the colour of the wine. Virtually nothing is known about the origins of this vine. The production takes place on the east side of Etna, as for the Carricante, around the territories of Viagrande at about 450-500 meters above sea level. Compared to other native vines, Minnella has a less late ripening. The harvest, in fact, generally takes place in the second half of September. Not far, therefore, from all the other Sicilian vines. At the sight, the wine produced with this grape will appear to you in a beautiful straw yellow colour. Its scent will captivate you because it is very intense and has a strong hint of anise. On the palate, however, you will immediately feel its harmonious freshness combined with good persistence of aromas. La Minnella has no particular secrets even with regard to combinations in the kitchen. The best combination, in which you can really savour every detail, is the one with the most delicate fish dishes even if it does not disdain dishes with a more decisive flavour. The Minnella grape is vinified and used as a blend together with wines such as Catarratto and Inzolia. Its vinification in purity takes place by soft pressing. Fermentation takes place at a temperature of 18-20 ° C in steel tanks.

The resulting wine, straw-yellow in colour, has a variable alcohol content from 9-11 degrees, up to 12.5-13.5 and is left for a certain period in the tank to then be bottled and there it continues its refinement for 2 -3 months. The Minnella grape vinified in purity from a very interesting white wine that goes well with dishes and fish-based dishes and which presents:

Colour: straw yellow

Bouquet: intact, broad, fruity with hints of anise

Taste: dry, fresh and harmonious with a pleasant aromatic persistence.

Etna DOC

Etna DOC was the first denomination created in Sicily, in August 1968, followed nine months later by that of Sicily's most famous wine, Marsala. The most common type of Etna wine is the basic Etna Rosso DOC, produced mainly from grapes of the Nerello Mascalese vine with the addition of up to 20% of Nerello Cappuccio (also known as Nerello Mantellato). Etna white DOC is instead composed of at least 60 per cent of Carricante grapes, to which is added the Catarratto, the most widespread white grape of Sicily and other vines present in smaller quantities, including Trebbiano and Minnella. There is also a rosé based also on Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio. The Etna wine area develops around the eastern side of the volcano, from the town of Randazzo in the north to Santa Maria di Licodia in the south. The land in the area starts at sea level and reaches more than 1200 meters. The vineyards of Etna are today among the highest in Italy and also in the world, alongside those of South Tyrol only. Etna wine producers are experimenting with sites on the slopes of the volcano located at the highest possible altitudes, to evaluate the effects on the production of the blackest and most lava-rich soils. These crops could represent the future of viticulture in the area, in fact, the first results of vineyards appear to be promising and the prestige of owning high-altitude vineyards is becoming more and more coveted. On the slopes of Etna, looking east, the vineyards are flooded with light reflected from the sea and local growers use this effect a lot, similar to what happens in other mountainous areas overlooking the water, such as Lake Geneva and along the Moselle. The reflex helps to ripen the grapes more completely, even if ripening is almost never a problem in Sicily, with its warm, bright and persistent sun. Etna Rosso DOC results from a blend of Nerello Mascalese in the measure of 80% and of Nerello Cappuccio or Mantellato for the remaining 20%. - Etna Rosso DOC wines have:

Colour: ruby ​​red.

Bouquet: ethereal, intense, with hints of vanilla and ripe fruit.

Taste: elegant, harmonious, of notable persistence to the taste.

This excellent wine also goes well with red meats, game and aged cheeses.

Malolactic fermentation consists of the transformation of malic acid into lactic acid plus carbon dioxide by wild bacteria present in the must and reactivated by the variation in the storage conditions of the wine. Inoculation of selected bacterial strains usually belonging to the genus "Lactobacillus" can also be used. This process, which generally begins spontaneously in spring when the temperature undergoes a rise (the bacteria, in fact, work between 20-25 ° C), serves to reduce the degree of "pungency" (typical of malic acid) and to make the wine softer. It takes place in containers or in «barriques», characteristic 225 liter barrels that release woody, spicy and vanilla substances in an adequate measure. The tannin released by the wood is called Gallic or noble. Traditionally it is more appreciated for red wines but currently it has also been introduced in important white wines, with great softness. It is not performed in so-called "ready to drink" white wines, which base their characteristics on acidity.