I got it wrong . You are right 
Interesting - I havenāt noticed a lot of BV with the Terre Nere wines, but to be honest, I drink a lot more Passopisciaro, so maybe Iāve just been lucky due to small sample size.
Another producer that I like is Graci - I just had a bottle of their 2012 that was drinking well.
While I agree with some of your general sentiment, I donāt think itās a particularly good idea to throw the baby out with the bathwater
Some of these newcomers make very nice wines. Mick Hucknallās Il Cantante is perhaps a little ambitiously priced given the competition, but I think itās a very good wine. Have you actually tasted it?
There is also a Belgian/American outfit called Terre di Trente who make some very lovely wines in a more classical vein.
Hey, the word on the street is even Cornelissen has begun to pull himself together a bitā¦ (not that Iām necessarily holding my breath)
One producer that, for some reason, I hardly see mentioned here when Etna is discussed is Fessina. An extraordinary range made in a very fine, somewhat understated style. Their Musmeci is, overall, simply one of the very best wines being made there and second to none in terms of finesse and elegance.
Nero d Avola and Frappato from Sicily has enhanced my enjoyment of wine in 2015. My only knock on most of the wine coming from Sicily is that they lack complexity. I dont know if that is a limitation of grape or not. I love to drink them and get excited when I see them on a list. The QPR on most of Frappato/Nero d Avola wines are incredible and pair well with most dishes. But most Sicilian wines I have had always sing the same notes among the same level of producers.
I do think that NdA can come across as monolithic at times, but I definitely wouldnāt call Nerello Mascalese-based wines from Etna simple.
I havenāt noticed it with the crus, only the rosso.
Thinking about it a little more, I have had more variation from the bottles I buy in Ohio than the bottles I buy in DC so maybe its not fair to call it BV as it could be something else creating the variation.
I completely agree with Bobās response:
Iām most familiar with Terre Nere, and really enjoy them for the most part. How does Passopisciaro compare in terms of style?
While I understand the sentiment, and can to a certain extent agree with Bob about the generally somewhat monolithic nature of most NdA, forgive me for stating the obvious: I still think much of it depends on our expectations, on what exactly we mean by complexity (i.e. what wines and what type of complexity we use as benchmarks to determine levels of complexity etc.), and, more than anything, which specific wines we drink.
I am not arguing that there are oceans of truly first-rate Nero dāAvola being made in Sicily, as that is just not the case, although a not insignificant proportion of the overall production is actually quite serviceable and dependable, if you like that kind of thing. I do, however, believe that the handful of top wines I mentioned in this thread are much more than that. I think it would also be fair to point out that most NdA is consumed brutally young, whereas the handful of best ones that I am talking about are certainly wines that are better left for 5-10 years at least for some real complexity to start to emerge. Just as an example: my rule of thumb for Feudo Montoni is 5-10 years for the entry-level NdA (although, based on everything Iāve seen, it can go even longer in a good vintage), and I would guess the same, possibly more, for the relatively new single vineyard Vigna Lanusa (a 2011 I opened recently was stupidly young but showed clear promise: my call is to keep my mitts of my remaining bottles for at least another 5 years, if I can). OTOH, the Vrucara top bottling: the 2000, while it was approachable at earlier stages, has definitely never been better, more insinuatingly intense, long or complex than now.
(Iāve also just started dipping into my stash of Gulfiās 2004 single vineyards and they appear to be entering a very good window at the +/- ten-year mark).
Having said that, the Vittoria area is not really known for producing complex wines for stashing away, and that is not the point. The point is, i think, mostly what Jon says in his post: scintillating, happy, pure wines filled with sheer joy, great fun, and often excellent with food. But then, even here there are exceptions. Track down, for instance, a bottle of Paolo Caliās Cerasuolo Manene for a Frappato/NdA blend that definitely has some intriguing flavours, complexity, soulfulness and appreciable length. (Manenti and Nanfro can also produce wines that are on the serious side for the area, in comparative terms).
On the whole, though, I think Bob is right. Even the best of all these would have a tough time matching the potential elegance, depth and complexity of the best Etnas or, for that matter, the best Faros.
But then, thatās not all there is to wine, is there
Just tried a COS Sicilia RamƬ 2012 at lunch. I thought this was a red wine (bottle is really dark) so it was opened last night when warm and refrigerated overnight. I cannot say that I liked this wine. It was a funky orangish color but tasted off for lack of a better word. Not that it had gone bad but just vaguely unpleasant. I like a different wine (had a Jura recently that went SO well with cheese it could be dangerous to have it in the house on any kind of regular rotation) but this one was just not my thing I guess.
Any suggestions for good representative whites from the area that I have a hope of running across?
Scurati make a very nice dry white. Look out for this one too>
2013 Stemmari Dalila Bianco (Sicily, Italy)
Wine - White $21.99 (750 mL)
*80% Grillo, 20% Viognier. *Pairs well with rich fish dishes. *Fresh and light with notes of apricot, peach, mango, and lemon sorbet. Some oaky notes on the finish.
With the exception of Cornelissenās whites, I havenāt had much luck with Sicilian whites. Iāll second Occhipinti wines, especially the SP68. If you want a cheaper introduction, try the Tami label, if you can find them. Itās a partnership with Occhipinti and friends. They do varietal wines, and make Frappato, Nero dāAvola and Grillo (that I know of). The price point used to be alot better, but they should be under $20.
Kara, do you like sweet wines?
Donnafugata makes a great Passito de Pantellaria from Zibibbo grapes. So not quite Sicily, but in the general neighborhood. Like drinking liquefied apricots, IMO, but with enough acidity that itās not cloying.
In terms of dry whites, Passopisciaro makes a Chardonnay from Etna that can be pretty good, although I will concede there is some vintage variation here. Tvrtko may know this, but I believe the dominant white wine grape on Etna is Carricante, so when you see an Etna Bianco, that should either be all Carricante, or a blend with Chardonnay or Grillo as a supporting grape.
All that said, to be honest, I have been more impressed to date with Sicilian reds. To my way of thinking, Nerello Mascalese-based wines are the most exciting, upcoming area in all of Italy right now.
I will be opening another 2011 Palazzo Mio Bianco this weekend. It is Grillo, Grecanico and Catarratto. Steel fermented and crisp with minerals, it is light and refreshing.
Screw capped.
Itās a skin contact white, so it has some of the tannins of a red wine. Lots of drinkers donāt care for the style. Typically, the skin contact whites pair best with fish.
The SP 68 Bianco typically has good fragrance but the palate seems to be more varying with vintage.
Hard to go wrong with these, The Terre Nere Etna Rosso is one I buy by the case, the Passopisciaro is always very good, IMO.
When she asked about Nero DāAvola, I have never had any that was really fantastic, for me it is a decent cheap basic wine that kicks butt with pizza. I always have some generic Cusumano or something like that around.
Quick follow up question: Passopisciaro? Is this both a producer and a style of wine? I ate at Del Posto this week (great wine list!) and they had a number of Passopisciaros and one was a Passopisciaro Passopisciaro 2012 (seems redundant?) as well as Rampante, Chiappemacine, Sciaranuova, and Guardiola. In addition, they had a Passopisciaro Cesanese e Petit Verdot Franchetti ($400). Wondering what Passopisciaro you guys are referring to?
Many thanks!
All the same, Kara - Franchetti is the owner/winemaker for Passopisciaro. His cru bottlings are Rampante, Porcaria, Guardiola, Sciaranuova and Chiappamecine.
The Passo āx 2ā is his Normale, or base-level bottling. All of the aforementioned wines are primarily Nerello Mascalese.
The Franchetti is his luxury cuvƩe, and is made with a different grape altogether that I am drawing a blank on right now.
Dāoh 
Petit Verdot - didnāt notice you had it in your original post!