Mount Etna Red Wines

Mount Etna - The Terroir

Mount Etna is not just a volcano, it’s an active one; which means the morphology and composition of the soil constantly changes after every eruption. If you haven’t done so, grab your smartphone and search an image of erupting Etna, then ask yourself: how on earth do grapes grow there?

Microclimate

Well, it’s all about the microclimate. Mount Etna is located in Sicily, southern Italy, blessed with plenty of sunshine and hot summer temperatures, but its staggering height of 3357 metres above sea level gives it an ‘alpine’ microclimate where snow is very common in winter. This duality is particularly true when we look at the diurnal range, were the day and night temperatures can differ as much as 25-30 celcius.

Snow on Old Vines

In this complex microclimate, specifically at an altitude between 600 and 1200mt above sea level, certain grape varieties thrive and can produce fruits with high level of acidity, a wide phenolic range and great flavour intensity. All of these factors contribute to Etna’s terroir creating an environment with a very low incidence of pests which means the vines are grown in “natural organic” conditions.

Black Ash Soil

Mount Etna Soil

The soil itself is nutrient poor (which we know vines love), fast draining, rich in minerals and composed of a combination of ash, sand, gravel and pebbles of volcanic origin which all share the same characteristic: it’s very dark colour. These black ashes and pebbles absorb great amounts of heat during the day, which they radiate back into the vines during the night, prolonging the growth of the plant and the ripening of the fruits.

Finally, it is important to mention  that vines are grown on three of the four aspects of the volcano; the northern being particularly suited to reds whereas the eastern and southern aspects are suited to whites.  These three aspects or ‘Versanti’, all benefit from sea breeze blowing in from eastern Sicily, enriching the vines with salinity and cooling down the scorchingly hot summer afternoons.

Mount Etna - Red Wines

Nerello Mascalese

The undisputed king of Etna is Nerello Mascalese.
Nerello Mascalese is a thin skinned black grape variety which is indigenous to Mount Etna and is the main cultivar in the Etna Rosso DOC. This denomination was first established in 1968, one of the oldest in Italy and in 2023 the process to ‘upgrade’ to DOCG began.

Nerello Mascalese is often bush trained (called Alberello) and it is common to find many pre-phylloxera plots especially on the northern and eastern slopes of the volcano. The vineyards are arranged in “contrade” which are single plots, and the best examples will bear the name of the Contrada on the label, similarly to the Burgundian clos.

Pre-Phylloxera Vines

Nerello Mascalese is a very versatile grape which, in my opinion, combines the aromatic flavour profile of Burgundian Pinot Noir, with the structure and the tannins of Nebbiolo. This result is a powerful yet elegant wine, with minerality, silky tannins, live acidity and a pleasant savoury backbone. If aged in stainless steel, you have a vibrant, fresh and light bodied summer red wine, best served chilled and paired with fish dishes. If aged in wood barrel (oak or chestnut) the result is an austere, tannic and multi layered wine capable of ageing and best paired with game and earthy rich dishes.

Other Mount Etna Reds

Nerello Cappuccio is the second black grape variety of Etna, with its dark skin it is usually used as the lesser percentage of the blend to add colour and flavours; some producers have also started producing wines from 100% Nerello Cappuccio with great results.
I would also like to mention that Pinot Noir is slowly making its way into the Etna region too.

My Personal Mount Etna Picks

Over the years I have worked my way through over 35 different Etna Rosso’s to bring you a list of my favourite ones. The following wines are all single vineyard.

My top Etna Rosso wine list with scores out of 100.

Calabretta, Vigne Vecchie 2012 (96/100)

Benanti, Contrada Dafara Galluzzo 2018 (95/100)

Pietradolce, Archineri 2017 (95/100)

Graci, Arcuria 2016, Feudo di Mezzo 2018 (94/100)

Calabretta, Vigne Vecchie 2010 (94/100)

Palmento Costanzo, Contrada Santo Spirito 2017 (94/100)

Valenti, Puritani 2014 (94/100)

Passopisciaro, Passorosso 2014 (92/100)

Passopisciaro, Passorosso 2017 (92/100)

Santo Spirito, Animardente 2015 (92/100)

Tenute Bosco, Vigna Vico 2015 (92/100)

Terrazze dell’Etna, Cirneco 2011 (90/100)

Old Crater Vineyard

All images courtesy of Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini Etna D.O.C