etna wine

a gift from the volcano

Etna mountain is considered an island within the island by the wine expert. This is because on the Etna mountain it is produced wine like nowhere else in Sicily.

What makes the Etna wine so special are mainly two factors: the very mineral soil created by the volcano eruptions and the altitude.

In particular, on the Etna mountain wine is produced up to 1000 meters of altitude. As a result, the same wine grape type can produce a different result according to where the wine yard is placed on the mountain.

The wine production on the mountain is regulated by a special d.o.c. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) consortium, which also defines the exact area within which the Etna doc wine is produced. The area of the Etna doc goes from the north side of the mountain, starting from Randazzo, and encircles the mountain as a belt until the south western side, in the area of Ragalna. http://www.ianomessina.it/produzioni/Vino/Delimit_Doc.htm

4 types of wines are produced: Etna Rosso (red wine), Etna Bianco (white wine), Etna Rosato (Rosè wine) and Etna Spumante (sparkling wine).

Some wine grape types are very specific to the Etna mountain. In particular the grape called Nerello Mascalese, a black grape that should make at least 80% of the Etna Rosso (and its premium version Etna Rosso Riserva) and is also used for the Etna Spumante (both white and rosè).

Another famous grape is called Carricante, a white grape that makes the Etna Bianco (and its premium version Etna Bianco Superiore when at least 80%).

Other grape types are: Cataratto, Minnella, Nerello Cappuccio (usually used in lower percentages in the wine blends).

The climate in the mountain is also very different from north to south: while the north is a bit colder but more dry, the east is more rainy, being it more exposed to the sea. The western side of the mountain, where there is very little rain, being opposite to the sea, is not part of the wine doc area.

Historically, wine was produced on the Etna since the prehistorical time, but only with the Greek invasion (800 before Christ) the cultivation and the production of wine became appreciated the way we know it today (Greeks even had a god for the wine, called Bacco). For the Romans, the wine produced in Sicily was the best of the empire, and exported everywhere. During the Arabic domination the wine production was stopped for religious reasons, but new type of grapes were introduced for eating (like Moscato and Zibibbo) and later also used for wine production. With the Spaniards the wine production flourished, and especially on the Etna the port of Riposto was one of the busiest for the export of wine in the world.

During the 19th century the production was hit hard by an insect called Fillossera, coming from the US, that killed a big part of the plants and pushed the farmers to remove the wine yards and plant orange trees instead (specially in the lower parts) or just stop the production in the higher areas. For this reason the production area was then reduced to the belt we know today.

Nevertheless the wine production on the Etna mountain is increasing and is living a new era, with many investors willing to buy land on the mountain and produce this unique wine. Many of the most important wine producers in Sicily and in Italy have established their production on the Etna and the demand for this wine is growing. Together with the wine production, also the wine tourism is increasing in the area.