The 2021 Etna Rosso is a lively red that dances across the palate and ‘remains a great value for first-class Etna juice’, according to Vinous, at only R395 per bottle. Think strawberries, cherries, tea leaves and fine tannins.
One of the top contrade, or grand crus, is the incredible 2021 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana. Here you’ll find the stoniest volcanic terroir of Terre Nere, and 60 to 100-year-old vines grown at around 600m altitude. The wine is deep and vivid, with smokiness, crushed stone, autumn spices and a long, chalky, salty finish with a gentle tannic grip. ‘Pure magic’ says Vinous. You’ll have to taste it to believe it.
Finally, from two parcels of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines that are more than 140 years old, comes the 2021 Terre Nere Etna Rosso Prephylloxera. The wine is fondly named after local farmer Don Peppino, who has worked this parcel within Caldera Sottana his entire life. With next-level detail and almost supernatural finesse, there’s little in the world of wine that compares to this.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere has been key to the ascent of Etna DOC’s wines, which are currently among the most exciting in Europe. Founder Marc de Grazia, a member of the Barolo Boys, released his first vintage in 2002 and now cultivates 29 parcels on Etna’s northern slopes. The Wine Advocate hails his portfolio as ‘the gold standard for Etna wine’.
The circular DOC around the foothills of Mount Etna makes for a multitude of soils and microclimates. The organic practices, volcanic soils and extraordinary elevation yield sharp temperature differences between night and day, resulting in fine, elegant wines akin to Burgundy and Barolo. Don’t even get us started on the Biancos and Rosato!
