No flash in the pan on a burning mountain

Mount Etna

12 Oct, 22

of Marcus Hofschuster in special

Fascination Etna

How Europe's largest active volcano captivates people

Perfect terroir for elegant wines

Interview with Francesco Cambria, President Etna Consortium, about the future of the appellation

Eating out, going out, staying overnight - the wein.plus tips

What there is to discover on Etna

There is something of a gold-rush atmosphere on Etna. In the past 20 years, around 100 new wineries have settled here, making one of Italy's exciting wine regions.

On the one hand, the interest is understandable: the special conditions on Etna - soils, microclimate, altitude of the vineyards, autochthonous grape varieties - define the region as a cool-climate growing area despite its geographical location and enable the production of wines with a unique, completely unmistakable character.

And here we are already at the circumstances that make the still young success story of viticulture on Etna so amazing. For the wines do not at all correspond to the mass taste that we can find in other trendy regions of Italy. Here - apart from a few dessert wines - nothing is sweet, nothing is flattering, nothing is thick or loud. The majority of Etna's wines are emphatically tart, often cool, restrained to demanding and rarely particularly fruity, often more on the emphatically mineral side, sometimes also brittle, because the red Nerello varieties tend to have pronounced tannins that can sometimes be quite reminiscent of Nebbiolo.

In addition, there are the growing conditions in the vineyards, some of which lie at an altitude of over 1000 metres and are not infrequently planted with ancient vines. ungrafted Quantities cannot be achieved here, and the number of hours of work that go into a litre of wine can hardly be compared to that of most other wine-growing regions in Italy.

It is therefore impossible to produce cheaply. The solution must therefore be to produce first-class and unique wine. How well this is achieved after such a short time surprises us again and again. And it makes us confident: the success story of Etna wines has only just begun.

We have tasted almost 150 wines from Etna in the past weeks, of which we present the best here. Links to all the wines tasted with detailed tasting notes as well as the producers can be found at the end of each of the best lists.

BEST OF Etna Etna DOC red

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2016 Etna DOC Rosso "San Lorenzo" Up to 70.00 €

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC "Guardiola" Up to 60.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Rampante" 91 WP excellent 39.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Sciaranuova V.V." 91 WP excellent 80.00 €

Donnafugata — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC "Fragore - Contrada Montelaguardia" 55.00 €

Favole Siciliane — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso "gocce di lava" Up to 75.00 €

Palmento Costanzo — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Santo Spirito - 468" 40.00 €

Passopisciaro — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC "passorosso" 30.00 €

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Santo Spirito" Up to 45.00 €

Cantine Edomè — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Aitna Vigna Nica - Feudo di Mezzo" Up to 25.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Cavaliere" 35.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Pianodario" 90 WP excellent 39.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Tascante Rosso "Contrada Sciaranuova" 89 WP very good 39.00 €

Papa Maria — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Cuore di Marchesa" Up to 30.00 €

Giovanni Rosso — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso

Cantine di Nessuno s.r.l. — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC Rosso "Milice" 33.00 €

Bosco in Castiglione di Sicilia — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Piano dei Daini" Up to 20.00 €

Palmento Costanzo — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC "Nero di Sei" 28.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Monte Serra" 35.00 €

Donnafugata — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC "Contrada Marchesa" 55.00 €

Donnafugata — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso "Cuordilava - Dolce & Gabbana" 55.00 €

Donnafugata — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Sul Vulcano"

Travaglianti — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso Up to 30.00 €

Tenuta di Fessina — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso "Musmeci" Up to 35.00 €

Cottanera — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Rosso "Feudo di Mezzo" Up to 30.00 €

Zumbo Vini dell'Etna dal 1972 — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC Rosso "Àndico" 28.00 €

Soc. Semplice Agr. Pennisi — Sicily 2014 Etna DOC Rosso "Etneide" Up to 35.00 €

Nicola Gumina Azienda Agricola — Sicily 2015 Etna DOC Rosso "Filici" 21.90 €

Tenuta di Fessina — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "Erse Moscamento 1911" Up to 25.00 €

Generazione Alessandro — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "croceferro" Up to 25.00 €

Eudes — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso

Azienda Agricola Biondi — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso "cisterna fuori"

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosso 16.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Rosso "Contrada Dafara Galluzzo" 35.00 €

Mecori — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC "DUO" 32.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Etna Terre Siciliane IGT red

Passopisciaro — Sicily 2019 Terre Siciliane IGT "Contrada G" 65.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2019 Terre Siciliane IGT Nerello Cappuccio 30.00 €

BEST OF Etna Etna DOC white

Pietradolce - Flora Faro ss — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Archineri" Up to 30.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Contrada Cavaliere" 38.00 €

Vivera — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC "Salisire Contrada Martinella" 90 WP excellent 30.00 €

Cantine di Nessuno s.r.l. — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Bianco "Milice" 33.00 €

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Calderara Sottana" Up to 40.00 €

Palmento Carranco Soc. Agr. SRL — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Villa dei Baroni" 24.00 €

Az. Agr. Firriato s.s.a. — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Bianco "Cavanera Ripa di Scorciavacca" Up to 22.00 €

Palmento Costanzo — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC "Bianco di Sei" 25.00 €

Azienda Agricola Gambino — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Tifeo" Up to 20.00 €

Palmento Costanzo — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC "Bianco di Sei" Up to 25.00 €

Donnafugata — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Isolano - Dolce & Gabbana" 29.90 €

Zumbo Vini dell'Etna dal 1972 — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Bianco "Settantadue" 25.00 €

Tenuta delle Terre Nere — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Bianco 16.00 €

Travaglianti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco Up to 30.00 €

Cottanera — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Calderara" Up to 25.00 €

Barone di Villagrande — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Superiore Bianco 18.00 €

Quantico Vino — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco 20.00 €

Benanti — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Superiore Bianco "Contrada Rinazzo" 45.00 €

Favole Siciliane — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Matador" Up to 50.00 €

Tenuta di Fessina — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "A' Puddara" Up to 35.00 €

Cantine Edomè — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Superiore Bianco "Aitna" Up to 18.00 €

Azienda Agricola Biondi — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Bianco "Pianta"

Eudes — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC "Bianco di Monte"

Murgo — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Bianco "Tenuta San Michele" 25.00 €

Feudo Cavaliere — Sicily 2017 Etna DOC Bianco "Millemetri" Up to 35.00 €

Feudo Cavaliere — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Bianco Up to 22.00 €

Vivera — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Bianco 88 WP very good 20.00 €

Azienda Agricola Platania Giuseppe — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC "Bizantino"

Palmento Costanzo — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Bianco "MOFETE" 18.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Bianco "Buonora" 88 WP very good 20.00 €

Az. Agr. Firriato s.s.a. — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Bianco "Le Sabbie dell'Etna" Up to 16.00 €

Tenuta Bastonaca — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco Up to 25.00 €

Az. Agr. Firriato s.s.a. — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Cavanera Ripa di Scorciavacca" Up to 25.00 €

Planeta — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco Up to 20.00 €

La Contea — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Sommitale" 18.50 €

Tenute Orestiadi — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "La Gelsomina" 15.00 €

Nicola Gumina Azienda Agricola — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Filici"

Sciàre dell'Alba — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco 19.00 €

Generazione Alessandro — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "trainara" Up to 25.00 €

Due Pini Soc. Agr. SRL - Berdivino — Sicily 2020 Etna DOC Bianco "Il Tenace" 15.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Etna Other white wines

Passopisciaro — Sicily 2019 Terre Siciliane IGT "passobianco" 30.00 €

Tasca d'Almerita — Sicily 2019 Sicilia DOC Chardonnay Tascante "C'Eragià" 89 WP very good 30.00 €

BEST OF Etna Rosé

Barone di Villagrande — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Rosato 16.00 €

Pietradolce - Flora Faro ss — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Rosato Up to 15.00 €

Az. Agr. Firriato s.s.a. — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Rosato "Le Sabbie dell'Etna" Up to 15.00 €

Sciàre dell'Alba — Sicily 2019 Etna DOC Rosato 19.00 €

Soc. Semplice Agr. Pennisi — Sicily 2021 Etna DOC Rosato "Etneide" Up to 25.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Etna Sparkling wines

Nicola Gumina Azienda Agricola — Sicily 2018 Etna DOC Brut "Filici"

Az. Agr. Firriato s.s.a. — Sicily Etna DOC Brut "Gaudensius" Blanc de Noir Up to 25.00 €

Tenute Orestiadi — Sicily Etna DOC Brut Rosé "La Gelsomina" 25.00 €

Tenute Orestiadi — Sicily Etna DOC Brut Blanc de Noir "La Gelsomina" 25.00 €

Azienda Agricola Gambino — Sicily 2015 Etna DOC Brut "Gambino Maria"

Antichi Vinai 1877 — Sicily 2016 Etna DOC "1877" Up to 35.00 €

All wines

More on the subject:

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	60-69 WP insufficient
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No flash in the pan on a burning mountain

Mount Etna

Fascination Etna

How Europe's largest active volcano captivates people

Hot days, cool nights

Perfect terroir for elegant wines

The secret of the success of Etna wines

Interview with Francesco Cambria, President Etna Consortium, about the future of the appellation

Welcome to Etna

Eating out, going out, staying overnight - the wein.plus tips

Travel tips around the volcano

What there is to discover on Etna

Pistachios from Etna

The "green gold" of Bronte

BEST OF Etna

BEST OF Etna Etna DOC red

BEST OF Etna Terre Siciliane IGT red

BEST OF Etna Etna DOC white

BEST OF Etna Other white wines

BEST OF Etna Rosé

BEST OF Etna Sparkling wines

More on the subject:

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