Wines from well-established, superstar producers like Benanti, Cottanera, Girolamo Russo, Graci, Pietradolce, and Terre Nere are worth seeking out, but here are 10 wines from up-and-coming estates.
North Slope Irene Badalà Etna Rosato DOC, 2021
100% Nerello Mascalese from the Santo Spirito contrada in Castiglione di Sicilia, vinied as a pink. It smells of delicate blossoms from mountain shrubs. Pomegranate and cranberry crunch on the palate with sneaky he and concentration.
Cantine Russo Mon Pit Brut Rosé, 2017
One of Etna’s more convincing sparklers. Forty-eight months on the lees lends a subtle toastiness. Very savoury and appetizing rather than fruity with a slow-melting mousse.
M Cori Due Etna Rosso DOC, 2020
The inaugural release from a young agronomist/ oenologist duo is a eld blend of 1935 plantings in the Mugunazzi contrada. Stainless steel highlights the spicy fruit and evocative µorals. Fine sandy tannins cling to the palate.
Theresa Eccher Passione Etna Rosso DOC, 2020
Like the M Cori, this hails from the Mugunazzi contrada and is vinied without oak. Vines are less than 20-years-old, and 15% Nerello Cappuccio is blended for a splash of colour. So vibrant, pure, and light, Passione is dicult not to guzzle. All raspberry with tactile, ne-grained tannins.
Tenuta Boccarossa Etna Rosso DOC, 2019
Craed from ancient vines of unspecied age in Randazzo’s Arena contrada, Boccarossa is fermented with lots of whole berries and aged in used barriques. It is wild fruited, but clean and gracious, expressing the untamed landscape and energy of Etna. Accents of iron and smoke to nish.
East Slope Maugeri Etna Bianco Superiore DOC ‘Contrada Volpare’, 2021
Despite the hotter-than-average vintage, this is linear and steely. It juxtaposes peach and apricot with stony µint. The power and rm structure are impressive, equally so the balance and nesse.
Monteleone Anthemis Etna Bianco DOC, 2020
From a foggy 900-metre vineyard in the Sant’Alo township neighbouring Milo. Fermented and nished in tonneau, it is somewhat reminiscent of white Bordeaux with nuances of honey and grilled herbs, but then that lean, sinewy body with green fruit and saline throughline take you to the eastern µank of Etna.
Southeast Slope Terra Costantino de Aetna Etna Rosso DOC, 2020
Pretty, youthful, and fresh, this great value (mid-$20s), stainless steel fermented, aged Etna Rosso is lightweight with zesty acidity. It shows strawberry and rhubarb on a backdrop of sunbaked earth. Made from organically grown grapes in the Blandano contrada.
Southwest Slope Feudo Cavaliere Millemetri Etna Bianco DOC, 2016
From a loy elevation of almost 1,000 metres. Scents of chamomile, broom, and wild fennel wa from the glass. There is weight and muscle on the orange citrus palate with a tense and vertical backbone. No oak but long ageing on the lees amplies the tactile texture.
Masseria Setteporte Etna Rosso DOC 2020
From the township of Biancavilla, where older soils are derived from eruptions dating between 15,000 to 60,000 years ago. It is scented with sweet herbs, spiced berries, and smoky tobacco. A midweight red with µeshy chewiness, this is oset by the stony mineral drive.
Michaela Morris is an international wine writer, educator and speaker based in Vancouver, Canada. She has worked in various capacities of the industry for over 25 years. Besides holding the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma, Michaela is an Italian Wine Expert certied through Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) and leads seminars on Italian wine around the globe. Not surprisingly, her go-to cocktail is a negroni.