Etna Rosso DOC
The wine that initially earned the region a position on the wine map is the Etna Rosso, a wine which, according to regulations, must be a minimum of 80% Nerello Mascalese, a maximum of 20% Nerello Cappuccio, and a maximum of 10% of other red or white non-aromatic grape varieties, all grown within the DOC demarcation lines. The table below shows the contribution of each of the core varieties to the blend.
| Nerello Cappuccio | Nerello Mascalese |
| Wines of splendid color | Opposite |
| Wines not suited to extreme aging | Opposite |
Subtle, cryptic notes
|
Complex variety of scents - From Muscat notes to hints of tobacco |
| Good acid and tannin levels | Distinctively tannic |
In general, Nerello Cappuccio brings color and perfume to the blend as well as serving to soften up some of the harder edges of its partner.
The best of the Etna Rosso DOC wines are produced on the north face of the mountain and show notes of cherries, tobacco, spice, and earth on the nose. Cherry flavors continue through to the palate along with minerality and silky tannins. These wines are elegant, balanced, and in possession of lengthy finishes.
Driven primarily by "outsiders" such as Marc DeGrazia (Tenuta Delle Terre Nere) and Andrea Franchetti (Passopisciaro), some Etna winemakers are labeling their wines based on the contrada within which the grapes are grown.
The best of the Etna Rosso DOC wines are produced on the north face of the mountain and show notes of cherries, tobacco, spice, and earth on the nose. Cherry flavors continue through to the palate along with minerality and silky tannins. These wines are elegant, balanced, and in possession of lengthy finishes.
Driven primarily by "outsiders" such as Marc DeGrazia (Tenuta Delle Terre Nere) and Andrea Franchetti (Passopisciaro), some Etna winemakers are labeling their wines based on the contrada within which the grapes are grown.
The argument behind this approach is that the multitude of lava flows emanating from the volcano have imparted differing characteristics to the soil and this is reflected in differences in the wines. Some experts are skeptical of this claim, taking the position that altitude and aspect have greater impacts on wine differences than does soil composition.
The sandy nature of the volcanic soil, plus the cold temperature at the upper reaches of the mountain, have combined to hold the scourge of phylloxera at bay. This has resulted in the continued productivity of old, ungrafted vineyards and labels that celebrate the wines produced therefrom.
The sandy nature of the volcanic soil, plus the cold temperature at the upper reaches of the mountain, have combined to hold the scourge of phylloxera at bay. This has resulted in the continued productivity of old, ungrafted vineyards and labels that celebrate the wines produced therefrom.
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| Source: http://www.tenutaterrenere.com/ |
| Producer | Label | Vineyard | Contrada | Size (ha) | Vineyard Age (yrs) | Training System |
| I Vigneri | Vinupetra | Calderara | Feudo di Mezzo |
0.5
| 100 | Albarello |
| Vinudilice | Bosco |
0.35
| 100+ | do. | ||
| Tenuta Terre Nere | Prephylloxera | Don Peppino | Calderara Sottano |
0.8
| 130 - 140 | do. |
| Graci | Quota 1000 | Barbabecchi |
2
| 100+ | do. | |
| Pietradolce | Vigna Barbagalli | Barbagalli | Rampante | 80 - 100 | do. | |
| Rampante | Barbagalli | Rampante | 80 - 100 | do. | ||
| Archineri Etna Bianco | 100 - 120 | do. | ||||
| Frank Cornelissen | Magma Rosso | Barbabecchi | 100+ | do. | ||
| Munjebel Rosso Chiusa | Zottorinoto | Chiusa Spagnolo | 90+ | do. | ||
| Munjebel Rosso Vigne Alta | Barbabecchi, Tartaraci, Monte Dolce | 90+ | do. | |||
| Munjebel Bianco Vigne Alta | Tartaraci | 90+ | do. |
Some of the notable Etna Rosso wines include:
- Tenuta di Fessina's Erse Etna Rosso DOC (90% Nerello Mascalese, 8% Nerello Cappuccio, and 2% white grape varieties, all sourced from the Rovitello vineyard)
- Pietradolce Etna Rosso, Archineri Rosso, and Barbagali Rosso DOCs (100% Nerello Mascalese)
- The Tenuta delle Terre Nere lineup
- Salvo Foti Vinupetra (an Etna DOC red wine produced from grapes grown in a 0.5-ha plot in the Calderara vineyards of the Feudo di Mezzo district on the mountain's north face. The varieties included in the blend are Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante, and Francisis.).
- Benanti Rovitello (Nerello Mascalese-Nerello Cappuccio (10%)) and Serra della Contessa (an old-vine (100+ years), NM-NC (20%) blend from the Monte Serra vineyard).
The regulatory requirements for the Etna Rosato DOC is the same as for the Etna Rosso DOC. Rosatos range from 100% Nerello Mascaleses to traditional Nerello Mascalese-Nerello Cappuccio blends to Nerello Mascalese-Carricante blends. Some of the wines are made with minimal skin contact while others are pressed-off and immediately fermented. Some of the wines are aged on lees.
Colors of the Rosatos range from salmon (as is usual for Provence rosés) to the more powerful colors associated with Tavel. The dominant aroma is strawberry while the palate is most likely to experience strawberry, minerality, and bright acidity.
There are a number of high-quality offerings in this segment to include offerings from Benanti (a 100% Nerello Mascalese made with grapes sourced from Contrade Demone located in Viagrande on the South-East slope of the mountain), Terra Costantino (a 90/10 Nerello Mascalese/Nerello Cappuccio blend), Pietradolce (Nerello Mascalese), and Barone di Villagrande (90% Nerello Mascalese).
Etna Bianco DOC and Etna Bianco Superiore
Etna DOC Bianco is to be made from Carricante (> 60%), Catarratto (< 40%), and up to 15% of other non-aromatic grapes such as Minella or Trebbiano while Etna DOC Bianco Superiore is to be made from Carricante (> 80%) and Trebbiano, Minnella, or other non-aromatic Sicilian grape variety (< 20%). The grapes for the Superiore are to be sourced exclusively from the area of Milo on the eastern side of the volcano.
Etna Bianco DOC wines are made from grapes drawn from all aspects of the mountain but the characteristics differ between the wines grown on the north face and those grown elsewhere. Carricante-based wines from the east to south flanks of Etna are characterized by salinity, minerality, and acidity and, at its optimum, these characteristics meld extremely well. These characteristics also allow the wines to age well (based on my experiences drinking aged Benanti Pietra Marina wines). While the characteristics of the wines are consistent, the quality of individual wines will vary based on winemaking practices, elevation, soil composition, and other related factors.
Etna DOC wines from the north face have lower levels of salinity and a perception of higher acidity, herbaceousness, and minerality than their counterparts to the south and east.
Salvo Foti
2014 Aurora Etna Bianco Superiore, a blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Minella. This wine was made from grapes sourced from the 5-ha, 5-year-old Caselle Vineyard. Slate, salinity, and eye-popping acidity.
Vigna di Milo 2014 is a 100% Carricante Etna Bianco Superiore sourced from a 0.15-ha vineyard located at 950 m asl and planted to 10,000 vines/ha. This wine was fresh to go along with a salinity and slatey minerality.
Benanti
2012 Benanti Pietra Marina. The wine showed petrol, dried herbs, rosemary, thyme, and sawdust on the nose. On the palate it was bright, with lime, saline minerality and some drying characteristics.
Benanti 2011 Pietra Marina Brawn and heft accompanying the saline minerality and acidity. Nutty and saline, with tar, florality, minerality, walnut, and a green herb. On the palate, lemony-lime, citrus rind, and blackpepper towards the rear. Balanced and consistent through all the tasting zones. Rustic.
1995 Pietra Marina. Characteristics included petrol, orange, orange rind, burnt orange and some tropical notes to include sapodilla skin and pulp. A textured wine with orange notes on the palate giving away to a long, spicy, drying finish.
Barone di Villagrande
The 2015 Etna Bianco Superiore exhibited white peach, white pear, white pear skin, and a vegetality. Savoriness and dried herbs also evident. On the palate, clean, lean, and austere with a slight green note.
Etna Spumante DOC
The Etna DOC Spumante should be minimum 60% Nerello Mascalese and maximum 40% of other Sicilian grape varietals.
Given the climatic conditions, it would seem that stellar sparkling wines would be produced here but, for the most part, I have not encountered many of those. All of the wines that I have tasted are Methode Champenoise. Murgo makes a Nerello-Mascalese-based Brut and Brut Rosé which spend between 20 and 22 months on the lees. Its Extra Brut spends 60 months on the lees.
Cantina Nicosia makes a Carricante- as well as a Mascalese-based sparkling and they are both pleasing.
The most eye-popping of the sparkling wines I have tasted on the mountain though, was the Salvo Foti 2014 Vinudilice Metodo Classico. This sparkling wine was stunning but, unfortunately, it is not made every year. It is made with grapes sourced from Vigna Bosco, a vineyard nestled within the depths of a holly oak forest 1300 meters up. The wine does not qualify for Spumante DOC as the included varieties are Alicante, Grecanico, Minella, plus some other unidentified varieties. They are co-vinified to produce a field-blend Rosato. The wine is matured in old oak casks and concrete. Fresh and attention-grabbing. Mouth-filling mousse and great persistence. The world deserves to see more of this wine.
This is the default label for non-DOC wines made on the mountain. A wine may carry this label as a result of one or more of the following circumstances:
An example of the second of these conditions is the 2017 Laeneo Nerello Cappucchio (100%) from Tenuta di Fessina. This wine was very aromatic. Fruitiness and spice on the nose. More refined and elegant than most of the 100% Nerello Cappuccios that I have tasted.- Native grape varieties but the blend does not comport with the specifications
- Native grape varieties in the specified amounts but falling outside the DOC demarcation zone
- Non-native grape varieties
- Winemaker choice.
Natural Wine
For the most part, Etna producers make conventional wines but, as is true in most wine regions today, there are a few natural-wine adherents in town. Examples include Salvo Foti, Frank Cornelissen and Vini Scirto. The range of Cornelissen wines are presented below as the most apparent example of this wine style.
The Munjebel bianco 2014 is a white wine is made from 60% Grecanico Dorato and 40% Carricante. Unlike the majority of Etna producers, Frank does not see Carricante as the best grape for the region's white wines. He feels that it is too acidic. The grapes for this wine are grown on 40+-year-old vines grown in the Calderara Soprano and Borriglione vineyards. This wine is amber in color, a result of fermentation on the skins. Florality, spice, and a savoriness on the nose. Savoriness flows through to the palate. A textured wine with great acidity and a long finish.
The Contadino 2014 was made from 85% Nerello Mascalese with contributions from Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante Bouchet, Minella nero, Uva Francesca, and Minella bianco. This 24,000 bottle production is sourced from 50+ year vines grown in the Piccolo, Malpasso, Campo Re, Crasa, Piano Daine, and Porcaria vineyards. This wine is red-fruit dominant but has some blueberry notes. Rich and earthy. Structured.
The Munjebel rosso 2014 is a pure Nerello Mascalese from 60+ year vines grown on the Chiusa Spagnolo, Monte Colla, Porcaria, Barbabecchi, Rampante, Piano Daine, and Crasa vineyards. Red berry fruit and drying tannins. Rich and balanced.
The 2014 Munjebel Feudo di Mezzo, in this case an en primeur sample. Savory with a preponderance of black olives. Long, bitter finish.
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