The Future Days of Etna: Standing Still in a Hurricane – Plus Special Buyer’s Guide to Etna Rosso and Bianco
Text and Photos by John Szabo MS
“Italy is the country of the future,” declares Luigi Moio, president of the OIV (International Wine Organisation), professor of oenology at the University of Naples, and owner of the Quintodecimo winery in Campania. “No other country can compete thanks to all our late ripening native varieties. If you manage vineyards well, there might even be some advantages to a warm climate,” he continues, addressing the topic on everybody’s mind – climate change – and in particular creeping temperatures and ever-earlier harvests from the Alps to the Ionian Sea.
Moio is speaking about Italy generally and its hundreds of indigenous grape varieties that have had centuries, and in many cases millennia to adapt to particularities of the Italian peninsula. But it’s not coincidental that his presentation is made on Mount Etna, Sicily, during an annual conference and new vintage preview called Etna Days held last September.
Mt. Etna, at 37.75º south, is one of the southernmost wine regions in Italy. Yet grape growers on the slopes of this highly active volcano, Europe’s largest, are among the last to harvest in the country, roughly in the same period, and often even later, than their counterparts 10º of latitude to the north in the Aosta Valley. Part of this is of course due to the mean elevation of Etna’s vineyards, lying between about 600 and 1000m above sea level. But it also has everything to do with the late ripening nature of the denomination’s two principal varieties: red nerello mascalese, and white carricante.
Not much more than a couple of decades ago, both the reds and the whites of Etna were unfashionable pale, thin, and acidic, struggling to ripen in all but the hottest vintages. There was, at the time, barely a dozen commercial producers, and selling Etna wines was as challenging as operating a Pizza Pizza franchise in Naples.
Fast forward 25 years into the 21st century, and Etna has become one of the hottest commodities in Italy, Europe and beyond. The Etna Consorzio now counts a staggering 445 producers from just under 1500ha of vineyards.
Nerello mascalese and carricante no longer struggle to reach maturity yet still retain the sort of natural acidity and freshness envied now by so many producers around the globe. This is especially true where the climate has warmed to alarming and unprecedented levels, and historically planted varieties no longer seem quite so suitable, such as merlot in parts of Bordeaux, or, dare I say it, pinot noir on some of the best-exposed hillsides of Burgundy.
Sales of Etna wines, too, are enviable. In the US, for example, the DOC’s largest export market, fully 97% of Etna wines sell for over $15, and over one-third over $25. Put in perspective, 85% of all Italian wines sell for under $15. And while overall wine sales are down in the US, as they are the world over, Etna remains stable. Last year the US wine market was down 8.8% – a big drop – while sales of Italian wines overall were down by 6.4%. Over the same period, Etna wines recorded just a minor 0.2% slip. Standing still in a hurricane can be considered progress.
And yet at the top of the price ladder, Etna remains a relative value. The very top wines of the region still sell for far less than Italy’s most expensive wines, occupying the sought-after premium and ultra-premium segments without being irrationally expensive – price is still, at least for now, correlated with quality.
This also helps to explain why Etna is so strong in the on-premise market (mainly restaurants), where two-thirds of Etna DOC wines are sold. This is far more than any other category. Restaurant buyers are clearly finding value from these volcanic slopes and their customers are appreciative.
Il Futuro
Though nerello mascalese and carricante are the mainstays of Etna Rosso and Bianco respectively, the mountain is home to some 60 ancient varieties, as we learn from Etna DOC Consorzio President Francesco Cambria. With an eye to the future, a dozen of the most promising of these have been recovered and planted on all sides of the volcano for future micro vinification trials. As Moio alluded, some of these varieties may well prove to be an extra competitive advantage as blending additions, or varietal wines in their own right, in the future. With 3000 years of winegrowing history, the mountain may still have some ancient secrets to give up.
Long-term Strategy
With the unparalleled success that Eta has enjoyed in the last decade, it would be tempting to cash in in the short term. And indeed, vineyard area in the shadow of the volcano has grown by 70% over the last 10 years, and bottled wine production has quadrupled. But here, too, with an eye on the future, the Consorzio is moving forward with measured caution. In order to control the future growth of the appellation, only fifty additional hectares can now be inscribed into the Etna DOC each year, with a maximum of one hectare per producer. And if more than fifty producers wish to add to their DOC holdings, than that 50ha gets further divided evenly between them. I find this a very clever strategy – as has been witnessed in so many other regions, a massive surge in availability usually coincides with a dilution in quality, followed swiftly by reputation, sales, and prices.
Regional Rejuvenation
Another huge positive for the region is the number of young producers currently producing wine on Etna. Some 20% are under 40 years of age, twice the national average. And 8% are woman, also well above the national average and up 50% in just the last three years and growing. The acceleration of young entrepreneurs overall has become even more evident over the same period, with an increase 55% for a total of 89 new wineries run by a new generation.
The typical history of countless producers is that grandparents grew grapes and made wine, but children left to pursue other opportunities during the period when nobody wanted Etna wine. Vineyards were often abandoned as it wasn’t even worth the expensive of ripping them out. Then, grandchildren realize the potential and return to the family estate to recover ancient vines and begin winegrowing anew. Like the lava that flows regularly from the volcano, refreshing soils, new generations of growers are continuously rejuvenating the landscape.
DOCG on the Horizon
We learn that the Consorzio is working towards DOCG recognition, the highest classification under Italian wine law. It’s expected to be finalized in the next 2-3 years. I suspect the impact will be minor, more of a feather in the Consorzio cap and a formal recognition of what anyone who has been to Etna already knows: it’s a unique place on planet wine.
Etna is at once an ancient, but also young and dynamic appellation with a promising present, and even more promising future. Seems Luigi Moio might have been on to something.
Track down the following wines, the finest of the 100+ I tasted during the Etna Days preview tasting and pre-and-post producer visits. It was one of the most exiting visits of 2025, with an uncommonly large number of exceptional wines.
Etna Buyer’s Guide: A Baker’s Dozen Bianco
96 Federico Curtaz 2021 ETNA BIANCO Gamma
Lovely, complex, evolving nose here, classy and engaging, with that lick of flinty, ‘noble reduction’, just the right amount of lees and smoke. The palate is vibrant and energetic, with impeccable balance and above all sapidity, with crunchy acids drawing copious saliva. Such great tension and tremendous length. Really world class stuff here, drinking now, but comfortable another decade no doubt. Tasted September 2024.
96 Girolamo Russo 2023 ETNA BIANCO Feudo
Still tight and wrapped up, one wonders why this was released so early, so far from prime, but it will be well worth waiting for. There’s plenty of wine here; Russo describes Feudo as having deep and generous soils, and a moderate microclimate influenced by the winds blowing in from the Val Dèmone (according to legend, inhabited by demons – because the volcano was the considered the door to the underworld), yielding supple, smooth and expressive wines, though this has clearly not yet reached the expressive stage on the nose. But the palate is indeed awash in wonderful pear fruit and ripe citrus, and very well integrated wood, with depth and complexity that are in the top echelon to be sure. Tremendous length. A stunning white from Russo all in all, one to watch, best from 2027-2040 or so. Tasted September 2024.
96 Graci 2022 ETNA BIANCO Contrada Muganazzi
From Graci’s 3ha Muganazzi parcel of carricante, an historic property in the heart of Passopisciaro at 700 meters above sea level adjacent to Arcurìa and touching Santo Spirito and Feudo di Mezzo to the west, this is delicate, fragrant, and ethereal Etna Bianco, a supremely elegant wine, beguiling and engaging. The palate is so well balanced, with tremendous depth and complexity, a wash of elegant, white-fleshed fruit. Classy, composed, top shelf. Drink 2025-2035. Tasted September 2024.
95 Maugeri 2023 ETNA BIANCO SUPERIORE Contrada Praino ‘Frontemare’
Maugeri’s seven hectares are all on the east side of Etna in and around 700 near the town of Milo, the only zone permitted to produce Etna Bianco Superiore. Two single vineyard whites are produced: Frontebosco from Contrada Volpare, a parcel faces up towards the volcano and surrounding forests (“facing the forest”), while Frontemare in neighboring Contrada Praino faces down towards the sea (“facing the sea”). Both produce exceptional whites, but this latter takes it to another level in 2023, yielding a stunning wine that delivers an appealing candied lime character, still tight, crunchy and fresh to be sure, but with a ray of sunshine driving through. The balance on the palate is impeccable and the energy is palpable – such great tension and length, and energy. Brilliant stuff, a true ‘superiore’ Etna Bianco. Best 2027-2037. Tasted September 2024.
95 Tenuta Di Fessina 2022 ETNA BIANCO SUPERIORE Il Musmeci Bianco Contrada Caselle
No surprise that Fessina’s Bianco Superiore Caselle sits near the top of the heap in the excellent 2022 vintage, a perennial favorite, made from a parcel of nearly 100 year-old, staked-trained carricante vines, where the combination of altitude – 700m+ – and the influence of the Ionian Sea guarantee “verticality, flavor and great aging potential”. This is indeed quality, stylish wine straight off, with sweet fruit and measured wood influence, an engaging sweet herb-inflected example, wild fennel and anise-inflected. modern-leaning but so well done. The palate is densely packed and saline, with loads of resinous oak flavours pushing through (fermented in French oak, followed by ageing for two years in stainless steel), not yet integrated, indeed a long way off. Clearly ambitious without seeking overripeness, in fact maybe even a little underripe for some, but I think this tonic, fruit backwards wine will pull together beautifully over the next 3-4 years, and sail comfortably into the late ’30s. Tasted September 2024.
94 Barone di Villagrande 2021 ETNA BIANCO SUPERIORE Contrada Villagrande
Youthful, even with a whiff of sulfur, this is remarkable wine from one of the most historic estates on Etna, and pioneers in highly ageworthy Etna Bianco Superiore from the municipality of Milo on the eastern side of the volcano considered the finest growing area for carricante. The palate on this 2021, the current release while others have moved on to 2022 or even 2023, is impeccably balanced, and length is superb. Fruit, while ripe, remains in the citrus spectrum with just a hint of caramelization slowly creeping in. I love the salty, refined aspect, a delicious, refined and stylish white wine all in all. Best from 2026-2035 Tasted September 2024.
94 Pietradolce 2022 ETNA BIANCO Archineri Bianco
Michele Faro produces two whites from pure, pre-phylloxera Carricante vines (some said to be 150 years old) grown in Milo in the Contrada Caselle at 850 meters above sea level on deep sandy soils: the skin macerated and extended-age Sant Andrea (Carricante IGT), as well as this Archineri, the more classic of the pair. It’s aged exclusively in steel, and in 2022 reveals clean, composed, and elegant styling, with professional ‘flinty’ reduction driving the stony-smoky and authentic expression of the volcano in a refined and highly appealing guise. The palate shows great salinity and sapidity, energy and tension, also excellent length. Top notch wine from a top notch producer. Best 2025-2035. Tasted September 2024.
94 Planeta 2022 ETNA BIANCO Contrada Taccione
To my mind, 2022 marks the finest Etna Bianco from Planeta, now sourced exclusively from the Montelaguardia vineyard in Contrada Taccione (near Feudo di Mezzo), the second vintage labelled as such. It’s so pure and refined on the nose, sophisticated and highly stony, with the right amount of sweet herbal-green flavours and no small measure of smoky, volcanic character. The palate is supremely well-balanced, sapid and succulent, with deliciously crunchy acids and excellent length. I have to say, they’ve got it all right in this vintage. Best from 2025-2035. Tasted September 2024.
94 Terra Costantino 2019 ETNA BIANCO Contrada Blandano
Now shifted into the golden hour, Costantino’s 2019 Blandano has reached a beautiful stage of maturity, offering a beguiling mix of maturing, lightly caramelized citrus fruit, so stony and tense. The palate is especially brilliant, creamy-tart, with energy and vibrancy, clearly concentrated and with excellent length. I love the ripeness without exaggeration, the honey without the sweetness, the lingering finish on beautiful tonic bitterness. Top notch kit, drinking now or continue to hold until the early ’30s. Tasted September 2024.
93 Benanti Viticoltori 2022 ETNA BIANCO Contrada Cavaliere
Benanti’s Contrada Cavaliere may not be the most celebrated and sought-after Bianco in the family range (that would be the Pietramarina), but in 2022 it flirts with the estate’s very best. The vineyard is on the south-west slope of Mount Etna, in the municipality of Santa Maria di Licodia at almost 950 m a.s.l. – some of the highest vines on the volcano, where rainfall is very low but luminosity is high, creating both ripe, but fresh, concentrated berries. I find this reserved at the moment, in a bit of an aromatically closed stage, with a whiff of sulfur, white fruit and green notes, not underripe but tonic. The palate still shows residual CO2 and crunchy acids, well balanced and integrated alcohol, and very good length. It’s appealingly saline and succulent, a wine that will gain over the next 2-3 years, and needs at least that length of time to be sure, or hold into the ’30s. Fine depth and structure. Tasted September 2024.
93 Tasca D’Almerita – Tenuta Tascante 2022 ETNA BIANCO Contrada Sciaranuova
Intriguing, smoky, properly volcanic and tightly wound, Tasca’s 2022 high elevation Sciaranuova Bianco is a beautifully composed wine, ridiculously salty, I mean like Vichy mineral water, framed by crunchy acids. Washes nicely across the palate. cleansing and refreshing along the way, and lingering nicely . Solid, delicious, best 2025-2030. Tasted September 2024.
92 Az. Agr. Ciro Biondi 2022 ETNA BIANCO Outis
Smoky and leesy, intensely concentrated, lots of interest here in the idiosyncratic Biondi style. The palate is grippy with plenty of phenolics, and an underlying openness behind the leesy flavours. Length is very good. Bold, rustic, characterful wine. With air this wine really gains in complexity and interest – be sure to decant if serving in the next 2-3 years. Tasted September 2024.
92 Donnafugata 2021 ETNA BIANCO Sul Vulcano
Showing well at the moment, at the crossroads of freshness and evolution, Donnafugata’s Sul Vulcano 2021 delivers plenty of sea shell, iodine, very marine scents, with a squeeze of torched citrus. More smoky character emerges on the palate, and the balance is impeccable. I love the salty, saliva-inducing finish. An impressive vintage for Donnafugata. Best now-2030. Tasted September 2024.
Etna Buyer’s Guide: A Dozen Rosso
96 Girolamo Russo 2022 ETNA ROSSO Feudo
Like Russo’s superb 2023 Feudo Bianco, the 2022 Rosso from the same contrada is magnificent. Russo describes Feudo as having deep and generous soils, and a moderate microclimate influenced by the winds blowing in from the Val Dèmone (according to legend, inhabited by demons – because the volcano was considered the door to the underworld), yielding supple, smooth and expressive wines. And this wine is immediately engaging on the nose, a beautifully crafted wine, with dense but silky tannins and ripe-firm acids. It’s just a marvel of balance on a highly concentrated frame. Length is exceptional. Silky, dense, complete. Best from 2026-2038. Tasted September 2024.
96 Graci 2019 ETNA ROSSO Arcurìa Sopra Il Pozzo
Sopra il Pozzo is a small, 1.5-hectare sub-parcel of Nerello Mascalese within the 20ha Arcurìa, identified through in-depth research carried out in 2004 that highlighted the diversity of texture, profile and chemical composition of different sections of the contrada. Sopra il Pozzo (“above the well”) reveals a continuous alternation of layers of stone and coarse sand called “rifusa”, a cru capable of expressing transparency and depth, lightness and fluidity, but also complexity at the same time. It’s bottled only in top vintages, and here in 2019 shows discreet, perfume with excellent density and fine concentration, still tightly wound but not angular. The palate has yet to fully flower even 6 years in – this is at least 2-3 years away from its prime drinking window, though will certainly hold late into the ’30s – it’s one of Graci’s top wines, with classic regional character and impeccable winemaking. Tasted September 2024.
95 Giovanni Rosso 2021 ETNA ROSSO
Piedmontese (Barolo) producer Davide Rosso has lifted his Etna game to new heights with this lovely 2021 Rosso. It’s a pretty, perfumed example with a measured degree of ripeness of the red fruit, also very floral, indeed seems nebbiolo-like, very pretty in any case, perfectly poised and balanced. Tannins are silky, and acids are ripe and comfortable. There’s some magic happening here, that meeting point of equilibrium that makes this quite irresistible. Length and depth, not to mention complexity, are also excellent. Top notch; drink from 2025-2035. Tasted September 2024.
95 Tasca d’Almerita – Tenuta Tascante 2020 ETNA ROSSO Contrada Rampante
Tasca’s finest Rosso in my view, the 2020 Rampante, from high elevation nerello mascalese delivers a magical perfume, delicate and refined – nothing will bowl you over here, it’s all about delicacy and finesse. It’s a wine that needs to be sought out, discovered, given time and patience. The palate is ultra fine and refined, so savoury and sapid, salty in the volcanic fashion yet with uncommon elegance. A really lovely wine, one that should be a paradigm for the mountain. Drink now-2030 – such is the delicacy of the fruit I wouldn’t want to see it slip past. Tasted September 2024.
94 Azienda Agricola Frank Cornelissen 2021 ETNA ROSSO Munjebel Rosso
This is Cornelissen’s best estate red to date I have to say, a remarkable wine, even more so that it sits at his entry point. It’s produced from pure Nerello Mascalese grown in different vineyards, a mix of what he describes as grand cru (Zottorinoto-Chiusa Spagnolo) and premier cru parcels (Feudo di Mezzo-Sottana and Porcaria), as well as designated vineyards for this specific wine (Rampante Sottana, Piano Daini and Crasà). “A classic, traditional Nerello Mascalese with tannins and sweetness of ripe fruit. My vision of a traditional, balanced and rich Northern Valley Etna wine,” he says. It’s light, lifted, clean and ethereal, in the delicate and refined spectrum of wines, with terrific spice, sweet and savoury, on a firm frame with surprising depth and structure. Tannins are abundant, though fruit extract is more than sufficient to ensure balanced development, and the finish lingers endlessly – there’s a massive amount of wine here on what initially appears to be a light frame – deceiving, and all the better for it. Glorious wine, best from 2026-2036 or so – Cornelissen has really tightened up his ship. Tasted September 2024.
94 Benanti Viticoltori 2022 ETNA ROSSO Contrada Monte Serra
Benanti’s Monte Serra Rosso hails from a south-east facing in the municipality of Viagrande at relatively low elevation, c. 450 m. Vines of mixed age, the oldest of which have reached the century mark, are planted in high density (9000/ha) in sandy, volcanic soil, rich in “ripiddu” (pumice stones), all trained in alberello. The excellent 2022 vintage is intriguingly peppery and spicy, a wine that draws you in again and again to unravel the spice trade underpinning the bright red fruit. Acids and tannins match up nicely, lending a fine-firm texture with plenty of sapidity. The finish lingers admirably. A fine, accomplished wine, elegant and refined, best 2026-2032+. Tasted September 2024.
94 Federico Graziani 2021 ETNA ROSSO Rosso di Mezzo
Graziani’s premium rosso, first made in the 2018 vintage, is the product of a selection of four estate parcels in Contrada Feudi di Mezzo, including centenary vines and massal selections of these ancient vines. It’s fermented and aged in a mix of steel and old tonneaux, with the aim of reproducing the delicacy and finesse of that ‘accidental’ 2018 bottling, made from grapes deemed too light and low in sugar to undergo barrel maturation. This stunning 2021 is poised and perfumed, with impressive density and fruit extract in the palate, framed by tart-ripe acids and an unrelenting sensation of salinity and sapidity, not to mention long finish. Such a succulent and savoury wine, the kind that screams for the table and salty protein, demanding some external flavour mitigation as there’s just too much going on the palate to let it find its own way. Such a unique and intriguing bottle, though also highly representative of Etna at the same time. Tasted September 2024.
94 Graci 2021 ETNA ROSSO Contrada Arcurìa
This is a little more immediate and fruity, plump and accessible, relatively speaking, to Graci’s magnificent single parcel Arcurìa Sopra Il Pozzo. It will please fans of the Etna genre immensely, a sharp and beguiling vintage, delivering lots of pleasure now even if surely not at prime. I love the succulence and sapidity, the length and general excitement it stimulates. Top notch. Tasted September 2024.
94 Mecori 2022 ETNA ROSSO Duo Contrada Muganazzi
2022 marks just the third vintage from this young and highly promising project (already delivering), from century+ year-old vines in Muganazzi, farmed like it’s 1922, which is to say, all natural/organic with lots of hand work. The rosso ages in steel only thus is short on oxygen, and at this stage comes across as ever so slightly reduced on the nose, meaning a touch of peppery-sulfides, though it works here in context. This ancient vine cuvée has plenty yet to reveal, even if texture is already silken and beguiling. It will come together in time. Tannins are so fine and powdery and length is terrific. Another great vintage form this young start up, best from 2027. Tasted September 2024.
94 Passopisciaro 2022 ETNA ROSSO Passorosso
Lovely, peppery, perfectly reduced Etna rosso here, with ample fruit and density, not to mention concentration. The palate is awash with supple, dense, red and black fruit, so much happening here – hard to imagine it getting any more intense than this, and this is only the entry point into the Passopisciaro portfolio. Such a terrific wine, plump but firm, ripe but juicy, a genuine expression of place and craft. Tasted September 2024.
93 Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2022 ETNA ROSSO 20° Anniversario
A blend of younger fruit from the 3-hectare ‘Bellacolonna’ sub-parcel of Calderara Sottana, planted in 2006 & 2007, this special cuvée was created to celebrate proprietor Marc de Grazia’s 20th vintage on Etna, having launched Terre Nere in 2002. This is a polished and sweet-fruited, ripe but contained, really well-dialed Etna rosso, with terrific density and length. There’s a bit of a blue fruit component typical in this estate’s wines I find wines, uncommon in others’, working well here within the ensemble of this youthfully vigorous and energetic example. Very good length and depth as well, and represents the contributions of Terre Nere to the Etna revival of the last quarter century nicely. Best 2025-2032. Tasted September 2024.
93 Benanti Viticoltori 2022 ETNA ROSSO Contrada Calderara Sottana
A sumptuous deep and ripe Rosso from the mid-elevation, warm and very stony Calderara Sottana Contrada, broad, bold and mouth filling, with silky-firm tannins and relatively voluptuous mouthfeel overall, a generous and satisfying expression. Complexity has yet tot develop – cellar another 2-3 years at least to approach its maximum expression. Well done, well-made, more sumptuous than the Monte Serra, though perhaps lees refined. Tasted September 2024.
