I really appreciate threads like “Which Nebbiolo are you drinking” and “All Things Oregon Chardonnay” but have not come across anything similar for Etna wines, so I figured I might as well kick things off here.
In these other threads I have come across so many new producers to check out, and have loved everybody sharing info about which vintages are drinking well right now.
Hoping any fellow fans and collectors of Etna wines join in here!
The impetus for this post today came from a bottle we had last night, the 2017 Pietradolce Contrada Santo Spirito. In a perfect spot for my taste. Wild herbs, berries, incense, warm spices, and ash. The tannins have integrated well but still make themselves known through the finish. Great typicity for the site and estate.
2024 Terre Nere Etna Rosso - full of deliciousness
Foti is probably my favorite. Great all around – red, rosé, and white
I’ve been drinking a lot of Sicilian wines, not just from Etna though. Occhipinti is always great. I love her Frappato. The Pianogrillo wines are delicious. Not as complex but very drinkable.
Lots of compelling winegrowers to be sure. Benanti is one that I enjoy quite often.
It is nice to see an Etna/Sicilia thread after spending a week there last year.
Opened this afternoon for a roasted turkey tonight, this is the 2023 vintage and 100% Nerello Mascalese. Typical PN character, light in body, red fruited, linear acidity and Etna soil notes. A fine deal from Total Wine.
Drank this a couple of weeks ago.
2021 Tenuta Tascante Ghiaia Nera Etna Rosso
Had the 2022 a few days ago and it was flat out gorgeous.
I’ve been surprised to see the lack of love for Etna sparkling wines, given how popular the reds are nowadays. Maybe the don’t have the best QPR for sparkling wines, when cremants exist, but I’ve enjoyed Saxa Nigra and Terrazze dell’Etna.
My most memorable Etna wine overall might be Franchetti. It’s a blend of cesanese and petit verdot, and not food friendly. It’s more of a meditational, cedary hyper concentrated wine. I don’t know how much I would enjoy it if I had it again today, but it felt elevated, distinguished and masterful when I first had it ~4 years ago.
Lastly, honorable mention for some excellent non-Etna Sicilian producers who deserve more love. Nino Barraco stands out. Tenuta di Castellaro gets some love and distribution, which I like to see.
Do folks think this thread would be better appreciated if broadened to all of Sicily? I originally thought it might get more use with keeping a narrower focus to Etna, but seeing loving mentions here for some of my favorite producers like Occhipinti and Nino Barraco has made me reconsider.
@nbri_zuela you mentioned so many of my favorites! I agree that Etna sparkling wines fly under the radar (at least in the US). I’ve seen more and more good ones, and the Benanti ones are some of my all time favorites. I agree the Franchetti is such a memorable and unique wine, I had the 2010 around Thanksgiving last year and it impressed me for how much it spoke of Etna despite the non-native grapes. Also love the mention of Nino Barraco - last year in Sicily I trekked out to Marsala to visit Nino Barraco and Marco de Bartoli and fell in love, the pre-British Marsala wines are certainly a real treat but the dry whites from both estates blew me away.
Perfect timing since we’re vacationing right now in Sicily! Here’s my long/winded story about one wine…
I had asked @Bob_Semon for some Etna winery visit recommendations, and he mentioned that
Eredi di Maio produced an excellent Etna Bianco Superiore. Yesterday in Lipari (Aeolian island) I figured I would check WineSearcher to see where I could pick up a bottle. Only one listing worldwide appeared — a wine shop 100m from our hotel! And it turns out that they have a restaurant next door (Osteria San Bruno), with this wine on the list for 42 euros, only 11 euros higher than retail! (Wouldn’t it be great if US restaurants could price like this!) The owner is the agent for this winery. And last night happened to be the restaurant’s first night open for the season!
Ok, the wine: Eredi di Maio 2021 “Affiu” Etna Bianco Superiore was delicious. Light-bodied with refreshing acidity, but not at all dilute. This is a serious wine that is also an easy-drinker (12.5% alcohol). Excellent with fish/light fare. Only ~300 cases produced, so I assume it’s not coming to the U.S. anytime soon. Ciao.
This was the last Mt. Etna bottle I opened:
Posted from CellarTracker
I definitely drink a fair bit of Etna. Nice that quality has gone way up over the last two decades.
Some of my regular producers are: Terre Nere, Graci, Tascante, I Vigneri (look for Aetneus which is generally released late). These producers make not only good single contrada wines but also excellent daily drinkers.
Aeris used to make a very bold Etna Rosso, but 2019 was the last vintage. The 2020 Aeris Bianco was also surprisingly good.
I see. Maybe we like these other styles and producers because we both spent time in Sicily? Just a guess. I can also imagine someone traveling all the way there and packing their schedule with Etna winery visits (plus Occhipinti) and never discovering the amazing variety that exists across the island.
This week I discovered a restaurant in my city (Hamburg, Germany) with a deep cellar. Turns out they have 6 different vintages of Franchetti, each for a reasonable price (about 170 euros). I will keep it in mind because I have to revisit those flavors and texture at some point.
But priced higher than a good cote de beaune!
Not when I bought that bottle.
I would agree that that bottle of Pietramarina doesn’t sound typical. I’ve had older bottles that were amazingly linear and fresh. Was it bark cork?
Yes it was. I have a second bottle of 2010, hopefully it is more along the lines of what I was expecting.
