Milo (Catania, Sicily): Contrade, vineyards, and Superiore wines

Marco de Grazia (delleterrenere.com) makes on of the most cogent arguments for the current Mt Etna grape-growing architecture and Milo's place within that space.

For centuries and centuries the northern slopes of Etna have been recognized for the best red grapes in the area ... "That is why I established Tenuta delle Terre Nere here. Nevertheless, some specific areas of the eastern and southern areas of Etna attracted me greatly, whose ancient and recent history testified to excellent viticultural qualities. In short, I became particularly interested in in the viticulture of the smallest municipality of the eastern area, that of Milo. From the 18th century until a dozen years ago, only one company existed in Milo, and it was famous for its whites. And when the statutes of the DOC Etna were drawn up in 1968, only the whites of Etna were allowed to boast the epithet Superiore. In fact, as I see it, the microclimate of Milo makes the production of red wines unlikely, while that of rosés is interesting, and that of whites potentially admirable even if it requires special attention."

The average rainfall in Milo is double that of the northern and southern areas. Its exposures are mostly east-facing, often made difficult and shady by vast ravines. The steepness of the terraces of the entire municipality sees the sun forced to set very early in the shadow of the volcano. Furthermore, the climate is very humid, open as it is to the hot sirocco that, having crossed the Ionian Sean, blows directly onm the vineyards. So much so that it is not uncommon to find yourself wrapped in fog even on summer evenings. No, it is not a climate for red wines. But an extremely interesting one, even if challenging, for whites, which seem to appreciate its particularly fresh, humid and breezy nature.

Marco goes on to describe what he saw as the optimum vineyard location in Milo:

I was looking for the perfect altitude: not too high, to avoid a truly extreme climate; not too low, where excessive heat would negate the austere and sharp character of Milo wines that I had learned to admire. It also had to be well exposed to ensure consistent quality in such a difficult climate.

I have previously described the Milo physical environment at the broader level as well as at the level of the defined contrade. Herein I describe the contrada-level built environment and, specifically, the Superiore wines produced therefrom.

The chart below illustrates how Milo grapegrowers have sought to utilize the physical environment in the deployment of their grapevines. The chart shows a marked preference for planting within Contrada Caselle with 7 producers having put down roots there. Salice and Volpare follow with four producers each, Rinazzo and Praino, with three each, and Fornazzo and Villagrande with one each. I could find no producers in Pianogrande.

There are a number of Multi-contrada producers within the comune: Maugeri (Volpare and Praino), Tenuta di Fessina (Caselle and Volpare) and Eredi di Maio (Caselle, Praino, Rinazzo, and Volpare). There are also a number of producers with interests outside the comune: Tenuta di Fessina, Benanti, Pietradolce, iCustodi, iVigneri, Terra Costantino, and Delle Terre Nere. For many of these producers, Milo is part of a multi-pronged strategy of wine production on Etna.

The average vineyard size in Milo is as follows:

• Caselle -- 1 ha
• Fornazzo -- 1 ha
• Praino -- 1.13 ha
• Rinazzo -- 2 ha (should be noted that the total ha is about 10 of which Benanti owns 7)
• Salice -- 7
• Volpare -- 3.1.

Not all of the producers identified in the above chart are currently producing Superiore wines. The Superiore requirements called for the grapes to be grown within the bounds of the comune and for a minimum of 80% Carricante. As shown in the chart below, only three (Aurora, Contrada Villagrande, and Milus) of the identified Superiore wines are not made in purity.

In terms of elevation, 11 of the wines are produced from grapes grown in the 800 - 900 m zone (as identified in my physical environment post) while five are made from grapes grown in the 700 - 800 m zone and the remaining five in the 500 - 650 m zone. 

Eredi di Maio is a multi-contrade wine but most of its vineyards are in Contrada Caselle.

I tasted most of these wines at a VinoMilo2024 event titled Milo, il carricante e l'Etna Bianco Superiore. I will report on that tasting in a follow-up post.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Milo (Catania, Sicily) context: The physical environment

In this post I continue to provide context on the comune of Milo. I kicked off this series with an overview of the history and economics of the comune and continue herein with the physical aspects of the winemaking environment.

Milo is the only area within the DOC where Etna Bianco Superiore can be produced. The eastern slopes are unprotected from the autumn and winter rains but the combination of rapid runoff and early morning sun contribute to their attractiveness as growing regions (especially for whites). This comune, as described by Salvo Foti, lies between the mountain and the sea and the warm air from the latter meets with the cold air from the former over Milo with the result being significant rainfall (average 1500mm/year) over the entire growing area.

In addition to the rain, growers have to contend with year-round winds which can attain speeds of as much as 50 miles/hour. There are beneficial aspects to the winds, however. Moisture dries out rapidly, keeping vine diseases at bay and allowing vineyards to make it through the growing season with only sulfur and copper sprays. 

According to Salvo, the sea and wind combine to imbue the Carricante grown on this side of the mountain with a saltiness that is not evident in Carricantes grown on the north face. According to Benjamin North-Spencer (New Wines of Mt Etna), the soils have a high mineral content but, in addition, breezes coming in off the sea are trapped at altitude and the salt moisture they contain come back to earth with the rain. These mineral, saline wines are endowed with incredible acidity and longevity and, if produced well, can age for 15 to 20 years.

The Valle del Bove, the horseshoe-shaped structure that dominates on this side of the volcano, is, according to Ben, the original shield volcano's crater. This crater blew the top (15,000 years ago, according to Ben; 8,000 and 60,000 years according to other sources) off the mountain and then fell back in on itself. It collected snowfall from the mountain, forming a glacial lake and decomposing the volcanics that were the core of the seven volcanoes that comprised the Elliptico (The decomposition of volcanic material forms allophane, a type of primordial clay, which is sticky for nutrients and holds water temporarily so that it can be accessed by the vine roots. The allophanes, due to their construct, provide a much greater surface area for nutrient attachment than does other more traditional clays.).

The eastern flank of the volcano was involved in a landslide that deposited water and eroded volcanics over the slope where we find Milo located today. These eroded volcanics were distributed over a very steep and plateaued environment. 

The soil is sandy and of volcanic origin with a substantial portion of ripiddu (lapilli and eruptive pumice) intermixed with red soils from the Sahara Desert deposited here by the aforementioned winds. The sandy soils drain rapidly, forcing the roots to dig deep in search of moisture and nutrients. 

The EtnaDOC Consorzio recently introduced a new DOC map with 142 contrade, eight of which are located in the Milo comune. The map, with an exploded Milo section, is illustrated in the chart below.

Information source: Ugo Nicosia (Marketing and Communications Director, Azienda Agricola Iuppa) communication with Brandon Tokash

This map is a work in progress and will be updated with info as our knowledge base expands. That being said, the differing elevations stipulated in each contrada aligns with a vineyard location. Based on the data, the soils are similar across contrade, except for some increased soil complexity in areas proximate to the path of the ancient landslide. The key contributor -- from the physical aspect -- to differentiation among wines made from grapes grown in these contrade are elevation effects. As pointed out in the previous chart, both the visual and olfactory wine profiles at Milo are affected by changes in altitude.    

©Wine -- Mise en abyme