Azienda Agricola Iuppa's Lindo Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Salice was the third offering in the lineup of wines tasted in the ViniMilo 2025 White-Grape-Identity-of-Etna Masterclass. The wines on offer were from the 2023 and 2020 vintages. It should be noted that the former is designated Contrada Salice on the label while the latter is not.
I have not previously written about this estate so some background is necessary prior to launching into the comparative tasting.
I couldn't help but smile this morning as I listened to a podcast wherein Marco, the eldest son of Angelo, the estate's owner, was being interviewed by Marc Millon of Wine Food and Travel and told the story of how he found out that they owned a vineyard.
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| Marco Iuppa at the right |
Angelo, according to Marco, was in the construction business but sometime in the early 2000s he came to the family and told them that they now owned a vineyard. Marco did not know whether to laugh or cry. The next day he went with his father to examine their vineyard and they could hardly open the gate. It was a forest, he said. One piece of land had visible vines but the remainder was comprised of broken down terraces and vines overrun by large trees.
That was then. This is now.
The obscured vineyards that Marco saw on his first visit to the property have been transformed into terraced vineyards with traditional dry lava stone walls. The Iuppa team has built one of the most esthetically pleasing vineyards on the mountain while retaining that original, visible old-vine plot.
The Iuppa property extends over 9 ha in Milo's Contrada Salice at elevations ranging between 530 and 700 m. The soil in this Contrada is sandy volcanic at 700 m and above and medium textured at elevations below that point. Of the 9 ha, 7 ha have been planted to Carricante, Catarratto, Nerello Mascalese, and Nerello Cappucchio, with a portion hosting a "centuries-old, free-range vineyard" populated with various obscure grape varieties. Ugo Nicosia, the estate’s Marketing Manager (one of the most gifted wine communicators on the mountain and a fierce advocate for Milo wines and the role that the volcanic soils play in the formulation of same), explains the vineyard layout (here) and the old-vine vineyard (here) during a walk-through with the author and Brandon Tokash.
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| Left to right, Brandon Tokash, Ugo Nicosia (Iuppa Marketing Manager), and Angelo Iuppa (Proprietor) |
The estate's stated philosophy is to "diligently work every day to produce authentic, territorial, high-quality wines" that take account of both "Etna's winemaking traditions" and "the most modern oenological techniques."
The vineyard is farmed organically and soil health maintenance and improvement are at the core of vineyard practices. For example, the vineyard is hand-tilled, thus eliminating the risk of machinery-driven soil compaction. Green material is harvested from the plants and integrated into the soil to enrich it with nitrogen. And, of course, chemical use in the vineyard is avoided.
The range of Iuppa wines is pictured below along with characteristics of the growing areas and fermentation and aging regimes. All grapes destined for these wines are subjected to selection both in the field and in the cellar.
During our September (2025) visit to the estate, Ugo led us on a tasting of the estate's 2024 wines. The tasting covered the whites, reds, and old vines wines.
Tasting the Lindo wines at the VinoMilo2025 White Wine Identity of Etna Masterclass
As mentioned previously, the Lindo offerings for the Masterclass were the 2023 and 2020 vintages, in that order.
Brandon Tokash's vintage notes are as follows:
2023 -- The year of the mold; especially for the north slope. Milo was burning, hot, and dry. There was one day where there were major fires all around Milo with some of Iuppa's vineyard burnt. There was concern for smoke taint but we didn't taste any. A better vintage for Nerello than Carricante. I think that some of the freshness and acid was lost, especially at lower Milo altitudes. Stay with the high-elevation Carricante (above 800 m).
2020 -- Warmer than normal spring followed by a hot, dry summer. Overall, the vintage was a good quality one; perhaps better than average.
The 2023 Lindo Contrada Salice exhibited a classic Etna Bianco Superiore nose: sage, minerality, mint, herbs, and citrus. A lean entry on the palate with lime, lime skin, and a metallic mineralogy giving texture to the wine. Alive on the palate. Persistent, with hints of bitterness and herbs. Mineral finish.
The Lindo 2020 had an initial whiff of sulfur and burnt rubber which persisted on the nose. Lime skin and white fruit on the palate. Slate-like minerality. Bianco Superiore characteristics somewhat suppressed.
There were major differences between the two wines which had, in my opinion, nothing to do with age or vintage characteristics. The 2020 appeared to have either winemaking issues or issues with the specific bottle that was poured into my glass. The 2020 was disappointing, especially after the high tone set by the 2023. I expected to derive even more pleasure from the older vintage. I did not.
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