|
|
Prices for vineyard land on Mount Etna in Sicily have risen sharply over the past 15 years. Salvatore Tomasello, winemaker at the Vajasindi winery owned by Duca di Salaparuta, told the industry magazine drinksbusiness.com that currently a hectare of land on Etna costs between 150,000 to 250,000 euros. That is ten times more than in the rest of Sicily.
These figures are significantly higher than the prices announced by the Institute for Enology and Viticulture (Crea) in its land value survey in the summer: There, prices of between 43,000 and 90,000 euros were quoted for a hectare of vineyard on the slopes of Mount Etna.
The area for Etna DOC wines is very limited at around 3,000 hectares. But almost all of Sicily's well-known wine producers, as well as those from the mainland, have secured sites on Etna in recent years as demand for the wines has soared. "In the last 15 years Etna has gained international credibility for its unique terroir and elegant wines," says Roberto Magnisi, director of Duca di Salaparuta. "There are times when it rains ash, you're outside with your umbrella and everything goes dark, it's crazy," he says. But the large temperature fluctuations at the altitudes of 600 to 1,000 metres allowed for slow and even ripening of the grapes and freshness in the wines.
According to Crea's statistics, the most expensive vineyard sites in Italy are in Barolo (250,000 - 2 million euros), on Lake Caldaro (440,000 - 900,000 euros) and in the Brunello di Montalcino area (250,000 - 900,000 euros). According to Tomasello, Etna would thus not be in the middle of the statistics, but among the ten most expensive regions in Italy.
(al / source: drinksbusiness)