Few things on this earth are more symbolic of change than a volcano itself. As their intermittent cataclysms reshape the very earth under our feet, volcanos represent a rare, visceral glimpse into natural processes that unfold across time scales usually far outside the scope of our own brief awareness.

Change was certainly on my mind as I returned to Etna for the first time in 10 years this past October, not least because the last time I visited, the mountain was in the midst of a spectacular eruption. My first glimpse of it on that previous trip consisted of fountains of orange lava lighting up the night as I sped down the highway in the darkness towards the town of Catania, where my sleep that night would be interrupted by explosive booms and deep rumbles. I emerged that following morning to an impressive ash plume lofting miles into the troposphere and a millimeter of fine ejecta coating the car.

Needless to say, it was quite a welcome.

The mountain was much more sedate on the first morning of my visit this past October, at least from a geological standpoint. The crisp autumn light caught small wisps of steam emerging from the caldera as birdsong cascaded through the trees. Even slumbering, however, the volcano dominates the landscape, drawing the eye to its summit like the converging lines of perspective in a Renaissance painting.

When not gazing up at the summit, however, the evidence of massive change on the mountain proves impossible to ignore. In the past 10 years, the Etna wine region has (if you’ll forgive the metaphor) simply exploded, and continues to evolve at a remarkable clip.

An Eruption of Producers

When I first visited in the spring of 2013, it took a concerted effort to find enough wineries producing at a commercially viable scale to fill up a five-day itinerary on the mountain. Around every winding corner of the roads that crisscrossed the mountain, old abandoned vineyards, and their crumbling terraces were a common sight, and only an occasional construction site gave a hint that a shiny new winery might be in the works here or there. At that time, the Etna wine revolution had been underway for at least 10 years, but the wine region honestly seemed like it was still in the process of waking up.

No longer. Now the wine scene is bright, and jangling with excitement, filled with fresh faces, dozens of ambitious projects, and brimming with the kind of energy that people only get when they know they’re onto something good. Wineries with impressive architecture dot the landscape, and abandoned vineyards are almost nowhere to be seen—instead, each turn of the (still disorienting) winding roads reveals rebuilt terraces and the ubiquitous arrays of wooden stakes supporting gnarled forms of rehabilitated old vines or newly planted vineyards.

The 2023 edition of the Cronachedigusto Etna Wine Guide, which was waiting for me in my hotel room when I arrived in October, listed 125 producers in the Etna region, 35 more than were listed in Benjamin North Spencer’s The New Wines of Mount Etna, published merely three years earlier. As I was Googling for the link above, I noticed that the 2024 edition is now available. It now contains listings for 134 wineries.

Not dissimilar to other evolving wine regions around the world, the growth in producer numbers on Etna comes from several sources. Families that have historically only grown grapes are moving into production, often as younger generations understand the multiples of value that separate finished wines from mere grape tonnage. Wine entrepreneurs both from within Sicily and from Italy as a whole have opted to launch wineries. Etna now also has its share of foreigners who came for a vacation or to work a harvest and then never left, as they bought vineyards or purchased grapes to make their own bottled expression of the volcano.

Ways of Looking at Etna

At the start of my October visit, the ever-eloquent Marco de Grazia, proprietor of Tenuta del Terre Nere, welcomed our group by reading a description of Etna from a small book entitled Various Writings of Enology by Sante Cettolini, an enologist from the Veneto who worked in Piedmont and then in Sardinia before coming to Sicily. He published his book in Catania in 1925, and here is what he had to say about the wines of Etna, almost 100 years ago, as translated by de Grazia.

“Etna’s production is diverse, not due to the diversity of its grapes, but due to the physical nature of its soils, which all derive from the great colossus, the volcano, but which the waters and the centuries and the mysterious works of nature upturned, giving them characters and characteristics so unique that in some areas one is tempted to apply to them birthrights which are not theirs.

Moreover, the altitude intervenes in this blend as well, making it close to incomprehensible and certainly confusing in how we can find in such a small area such extremes of diversity. Climbing up the volcano’s shoulders between 600 and 700 meters altitude, Etna’s wine acquires a refinement like the air itself. I would say it becomes more spiritual, mitigating the brutal force of its alcohol in the velvet of its harmonious components and in the gentleness of its flavors. In its aromas of violets, of iris, and roses which develop into a bouquet reminiscent of anise seed and on the palate translates into the flavor of the peach’s pit, a bitterness so pleasing that it almost seems sweet.

Certain wines of [and here he mentions many of the major townships on Etna] have nothing to envy of Barolo and Burgundy. Indeed, when the grapes are harvested in the finest plots, where once the woods were lords and the soil is less harsh and is not lacking in organic elements, they excel just as an eagle that soars at higher altitudes, with and in respecting one essential condition, however. That the wines be well-crafted and well-preserved, so that man’s ignorant hand not spoil the bounty of nature. In short, in such a restricted surface area, the enologist can find that which can satisfy all the requirements of the wine market and the needs of an aristocratic palette.”

Very well said. There’s a reason that for at least 3000 years, people have braved the vicissitudes of one of the world’s largest and most active volcanoes to make wine on its flanks. There’s something special about Etna, and that only becomes more obvious as time goes on.

Contemplating Contrade

If you’d like to know just how much of a wine geek I really am, let me tell you about one of the most exciting things that marked my recent visit to the volcano. I arrived on the press trip to find a packet of information waiting for me that contained the first published map of the 133 Contrade of the Etna DOC.

Why is that so exciting? Because I’ve been hearing the term contrada for almost 20 years, ever since I was introduced to the wines of Passopisciaro, but have never seen a map that shows them in any real way. The late Andrea Franchetti, proprietor of Passopisciaro, believed strongly in the contrade as meaningful geographical (and he claimed, geological) subdivisions of the volcano. The first wine labeled with a Contrada was de Grazia’s 2002 Contrada Guardiola bottling at Tenuta del Terre Nere. Franchetti started making and labeling individual contrada wines a few years later.

“Historically, if you talk to the old-timers, Etna has these big properties that were the ‘owned’ properties,” Franchetti told me in 2013 when I visited. “There were these big lava flows and centuries later you purchased that flow and you could plant on it. Now they’re all split up, but these flows, our contradas, have always been mapped very carefully. Each is a distinct flow, and you can see the differences in the grapes.”

Unfortunately, pretty much everything that Franchetti told me 10 years ago turns out to be inaccurate, other than the fact that the contrade are, in fact, historical designations that are widely recognized in the area. The “old-timers” as Franchetti put them, indeed have known the names of these “places” for generations, and their names have been recognized and preserved through a combination of word of mouth and various surviving written records. Such designations of place are wonderfully powerful, romantic, and ultimately important cultural delimitations of locale that are unique to the place that is Etna.

However, it is crucially important that we not equate these 133 named areas on Etna with similar geographical designations that we find elsewhere in the wine world, however tempting and natural that might be. It would be the easiest thing in the world to simply think about the contrade like the lieu-dits of Burgundy, but they are not and never will be the same thing.

Whatever you do, please don’t refer to them as “crus.”

Etna’s 133 contrade have no real basis in observed wine characteristics. That is to say they were not established after hundreds of years of making wine when everyone decided the wines from that particular place shared fundamental qualities. What’s more, the boundaries of the contrade do not actually correspond in any real way to the geology underneath (even though the Etna DOC Consortium along with a number of producers imply that they do). The geologic age, mineral content, physical properties, and topography of the soils within a single contrada can and do vary considerably.

You can easily see this by imaging an overlay of the geologic view of the historical lava flows on the mountain (shown above right ) with the contrada map. This view was created by an archeomagnetism study done by six researchers in 2009. While the maps are at different scales you only have to look at the complexity of the contrade on the famous north slope of the mountain to see that there’s no way such a fine and detailed subdivision can be driven by the historical lava flows. To put a finer point on it, there are, depending on how you count them, 13-15 distinct historical lava flows identified by these researchers in an area that has been divided into 64 different contrade. Here’s an even more finely detailed map from 2011 that yields the same conclusion.

While some contrade are very small and quite homogenous in terms of both ownership and plantings (e.g. all the vines are roughly the same age and similar genetic material), other contrade are huge and contain holdings by many different producers whose vines vary in age, training method, and genetic material, making it even more difficult to draw any conclusions, let alone make predictions, about what a contrada means in terms of wine sensory experience.

So how are we to understand the contrade then? Simply as useful cultural and geographic locators. They are defined places, now with distinct borders, that have a history and cultural cachet, and little more. Some of them, such as Guardiola or Porcaria are chock full of centenary vines and may have a distinct character that might well transcend the efforts of the small number of producers that make wine from them, but those are far more the exception rather than the rule, and such determinations have yet to be made in any other form than anecdotal.

That said, I love knowing that a wine comes from a single contrada (as opposed to being a blend from vineyards across a wide swath of the volcano), and by virtue of a named place, I enjoy having the ability to locate it somewhere in the wide crescent of vineyards that sweep around the flanks of the mountain. So I’m supportive of the contrade concept, all the while hoping the articulation of what they are gets clearer with time.

Bianco Rising

One of the major shifts occurring on Etna involves the role of white wines. With a few notable exceptions (thank you Pietra Marina) white wines fell somewhere between curiosity and afterthought in the early years of industry development on the mountain. Some early producers simply ignored white wines, seemingly content to make a portfolio consisting only of red.

What began in small quantities has now turned into something of a tidal wave as white wine production on the mountain threatens to overtake red in volume (some estimates suggest that 2024 will be the first year that actually happens).

Etna Bianco was seemingly in the right place at the right time over the last decade as wine drinkers increasingly began to seek out acid-driven, crisp, and refreshing white wines with little or no oak influence. Just as now (against all expectations) Sancerre is one of the hottest tickets around, so too have Etna Bianco wines become some of the go-to bottles in many a restaurant around the world.

And rightfully so. These Carricante-dominated wines (often blended with Cattaratto, and occasionally with Minella, Insolia, and several other obscure white varieties) are almost always wonderfully saline, bright, and tasty. As was once said about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, it’s pretty hard to find a bad one, even when you’re choosing at random.

Local producers, especially those with vineyards in the coveted little Etna Bianco Superiore region surrounding the town of Milo on the volcano’s Eastern flank have made a distinct effort to both market their wines, and significantly increase plantings. Etna Bianco production rose roughly 30% between 2021 and 2022, and production of Etna Bianco Superiore rose a whopping 67% in the same timeframe.

Many of these vineyards were planted prior to a moratorium on new plantings that went into effect in July 2020 and will remain in place until August 1st 2024. The rate of vineyard plantings (of primarily white varieties) has been so extreme recently that the government felt it needed to step in and slow down the region’s growth.

Troublesome Vintage, Terrific Wines

I arrived on Etna this past October to find the producers trying to remain positive (while quite literally wringing their hands) in the face of a nearly disastrous vintage. It looks like we won’t be finding much 2023 wine on the market, as many producers lost somewhere between 80 and 100 percent of their crop to downy mildew, aka Peronospora.

A fungal infestation that thrives in warm humid conditions, downy mildew first coats leaves and berries in a fine fuzz of fungus, and then as the fungus penetrates the plant, grapes turn brown, shrivel, and die. Etna producers only rarely see downy mildew in any normal year, but warm spring rains in May and June led to an extremely long, humid period from flowering to fruit set, the most vulnerable time for the grapes.

Harvest had not yet begun on the volcano during my visit, and yet as I walked through the vineyards, many had no fruit at all. It was heartbreaking to see.

The fruit that did remain and ripened fully will no doubt be good, but quantities will be extremely small.

Luckily 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 were all relatively good vintages (with 2020 and 2021 being real standouts), so there is a lot of good Etna wine in the market at the moment.

But “good” doesn’t quite describe how I feel about these wines. I’ve loved Etna wines from the moment I had my first taste of the floral and berry-scented powdered stone of Etna Rosso and the sea air and citrus peel laser beam brightness of Etna Bianco. These are among the most distinctive delicious wines in the world, in my humble opinion, and across the board (the board being much bigger now than it used to be) they are better than they have ever been.

There are still a few (mostly tiny) producers on the mountain making tired wines that get too much oak, too much oxygen, and grapes picked too ripe. But the vast majority of producers are making very good wine, and a large number of them are making truly excellent wines. Wines that have perfume, freshness, and vibrancy even as they express the stony, earthy heart of the volcano that they call home.

If you haven’t yet tasted the volcano, it’s long past time for you to try.

New Names to Know

On my recent visit, I was introduced quite literally to perhaps 40 or more producers I had never heard of before, many of whose wines I have reviewed below, but a number of them stood out distinctly and are worth highlighting.

Azienda Agricola Sciara
It’s a great story. Southern California sommelier fed up with working the floor makes a visit to the mountain, is swept away by the place, decides to work a harvest, and the next thing you know, he’s selling a bunch of collectible Burgundy he’s been hoarding in order to purchase vineyard land and start a wine label. Stef Yim’s journey to making wine on Etna had a few more twists and turns than that (including brief stints making wine in Lake County of California and the south of France) but he fell hard for the volcano, and since 2015 has never looked back. His wines, while made with a natural technique, including amphorae and minimal use of sulfur, are clean, wonderfully aromatic, and pure, including a wine made from old-vine Grenache he discovered high on the slopes of the volcano.

Tenuta Monteleone
In 2017 Sicilian journalist Giulia Monteleone and her father decided to purchase a small plot of land towards the base of Etna and begin a wine project. They hired Monteleone’s boyfriend at the time, Benedetto Alessandro to make the wines from their two-hectare plot, as well as from some other vineyards they managed to lease on the mountain. Giulia and Benedetto have since become engaged, and their wines immediately struck me with their purity and elegance. I came back to their wines several times over my few days on the volcano, and each time I came away extremely impressed.

Curtaz
Some Etna producers like to gently disparage, or at least discount, those who have come from elsewhere in Italy to make wine on the volcano. I certainly saw my share of harrumphs and wrinkled noses when the name Federico Curtaz came up in conversation from time to time on my visit. An agronomist originally from Val d’Aosta, Curtaz spent 15 years managing vineyards for Angelo Gaga before Gaja tapped him to begin the family’s project in Etna. In 2015, Curtaz stepped away from that effort to begin his eponymous project. Andrea Franchetti was also quietly disparaged for many years for being a rich Tuscan outsider, and perhaps even more so because his wines were so clearly fantastic. Curtaz seems to be in the same boat, with excellent wines and a Gaja pedigree driving his prices and recognition higher than many locals who have been around a lot longer.

Statella
One of the sure-fire hacks for finding great wine in this world involves tracking the winemakers of well-known projects when they go off and start personal projects on the side. Calogero Statella has been making wine for Marco de Grazia’s Tenute del Terre Nere since 2007. But in 2016, Statella and his wife purchased a vineyard and began their family label. In addition to his vineyard, Statella sources fruit from several other vineyards including an ancient vineyard near the town of Randazzo in Contrada Pignatuni. Like many such vineyards over 120 years of age, it hosts a mix of primarily red, but also white grapes, which Statella harvests and ferments together as a field blend. But the other unique thing about this vineyard is the age of its soils, which are somewhere between 15,000 and 60,000 years old. That might not sound old, but on an active volcano, where lava flows from the last couple of thousand years regularly cover up older soils, finding soils of that age are quite rare. Somehow Statella’s personal wines, though he swears they have the same winemaking protocols as Tenuta del Terre Nere, are more elegant and refined to my palate.

Generazione Alessandro
Yes, that same Alessandro. Benedetto Alessandro (now fiancé to Giulia Monteleone) started a winery with two of his cousins (one of whom, confusingly is also named Benedetto) in 2015. All three are the 4th generation of the Alessandro family, and judging by the snazzy new winery I visited while I was there, pretty well financed. They’ve got a compact little cellar, a beautiful tasting room with vines out front, and a really solid lineup of wines punctuated by a couple of stellar bottlings. Their rosé is currently my favorite one on the mountain, and the red wine they make from the slightly tongue-twisting old vines of the Sciaramanica vineyard is exceptional.

Tasting Notes

In the course of a few days on the mountain, I tasted a lot of wines. Some were tasted during visits to producers, others in larger, walk-around tasting events, and still others at seated blind tastings. I’ve opted to collect all of them here, which means you’ll see some wines below with scores but no notes (usually tasted at walk-around tastings). If I tasted wines in both blind and non-blind settings, I have opted in all cases to keep the notes and scores I made while blind tasting (though they are not specifically labeled as such below).

If wines are purchasable online, I have included a link to do so, and I am reporting the average price I can find for that wine online, which may be different than the suggested retail price from importers or the producers themselves.

White Wines

White Wines With a Score Between 9.5 and 10

2022 I Custodi “Ante” Carricante Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of seawater and lemon pith. In the mouth, deeply salty lemon pith and gorgeous mineral wet chalkboard flavors have an incredible ethereal, crystalline crackle. Made from a single vineyard, 100% Carricante, at 700 meters of elevation. An impeccable, mouth-watering wine of incredible finesse and liquid stone quality. $45. click to buy.

White Wines With a Score Around 9.5

2022 I Custodi “Aedes” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeyed and floral aromas. Despite the somewhat sweet aromas, in the mouth, the wine is fantastically bright and zingy, with wonderfully salty flavors of lemon pith that have a deep, deep minerality, like drinking lemon-scented water from a cistern. Stony, bright, and delicious. $33. click to buy.

2021 Curtaz Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of deeply saline lemon pith and lemon zest. In the mouth, green apple flavors are incredibly salty with citrus pith and citrus oil lingering in a long finish. Fantastic acidity that all but bursts on the palate. Gorgeous and vibrant. $50. click to buy.

White Wines With a Score Between 9 and 9.5

2021 Palmento Costanzo “Contrada Cavaliere” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle, apples, and wet pavement. In the mouth, very saline flavors of Meyer lemon, lime zest, and hints of dried herbs are wonderfully savory and salty. Deeply stony texture. Grown at the 1000m elevation mark in the southwest of the volcano. 20% ages in wood, with malolactic inhibited. 12% alcohol. $56. click to buy.

2020 Stagnitta Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of struck flint, lime, and green apple. In the mouth, crystalline, saline flavors of lime and green apple mix with some white flowers and a lovely salty finger lime quality that is quite juicy and delicious. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2022 Maugeri “Frontemare – Contrada Praino” Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Light greenish gold, this wine smells of candied lemon, citrus pith, and a hint of nut skin. In the mouth, silky textures give the wine a fuller body with flavors of citrus pith and lemon zest, grapefruit zest, and a hint of vanilla. Great acidity and minerality. 100% Carricante grown at 700 meters, aged in a combination of steel and tonneaux. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2020 Tenute di Nuna Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Light yellow gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith, flowers, and sea air. In the mouth, saline flavors of lemon pith and lemon peel are deeply mineral and bright. Fantastic acidity. Mouthwatering. $??

2017 Torre Mora “Scalunera” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of orange peel, paraffin, and salted lemon candy. In the mouth, phenomenally salty candied lemon flavors are touched with paraffin, wet chalkboard, and the scent of honey mixes with a faint note of dried mango. Gorgeous and mouthwatering. 100% Carricante. 13% alcohol. $31. click to buy.

2016 Alta Mora Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Medium yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon and dried yellow herbs and a touch of salty smokiness. In the mouth, wonderfully salty candied lemon peel flavors mix with a touch of paraffin, wet chalkboard, and pulverized stone. A faintly grippy texture lingers as the wine finishes clean, bright, and delicious. 100% Carricante. 13% alcohol. $32.

2022 Tenuta Monteleone “Anthemis” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Near colorless in the glass, this wine smells of lime and pomelo. In the mouth, flavors of pomelo, lime, and bright seawater are juicy and crisp thanks to excellent acidity. Zippy, mouthwatering, and delicious. $64. click to buy.

2021 Generazione Alessandro “Trainara” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Near colorless in the glass, this wine smells of struck flint, salty apples, and finger lime. In the mouth, bright salty lime and green apple mix with white flowers and wet chalkboard. Bright, juicy, and mouthwatering. A blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto, farmed organically. Inoculated for fermentation and then aged for 12 months in the tank on lees and then another year in bottle before release. 12.5% alcohol. $23. click to buy.

2022 Graci Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine has a floral nose of lime pith and lemon pith. In the mouth, floral flavors and bright finger lime flavors mix with green apple and white flowers through a long finish. Excellent acidity. 12.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2022 I Custodi “Imbris – Contrada Caselle” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon peel. In the mouth, honey, dried orange peel, and saline flavors mix with wet chalkboard and excellent acidity. Juicy, bright, and delicious. $60. click to buy.

2022 Girolamo Russo “Contrada San Lorenzo” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle and citrus pith. In the mouth, citrus pith, white flowers, wet chalkboard, and dried herbs have a filigreed acidity. Comes from the old vines of San Lorenzo with a blend of 90% Carricante and 10% of other heritage white grapes, hand-selected and cofermented. Fermentation starts in steel, and then in the middle of the fermentation, it is transferred to old tonneau, so the fermentation ends in wood. Ages for just a few months before being bottled early. 12.5% alcohol. $82. click to buy.

2022 Forti Randazzase “Gagà” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers and citrus pith. In the mouth, deeply mineral wet chalkboard and wet pavement flavors are shot through with lemon pith and salinity. Lime leaf and pomelo pith linger in the finish. 100% Carricante grown on south-southwestern slopes between 700 and 900 meters of elevation. Spends 6 months in steel on the lees. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2022 Iuppa “Lavi” Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of citrus pith, lime zest, and herbs. In the mouth, bright stony lemon and lime pith flavors mix with saline and white flowers. Excellent acidity and length. A blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto grown at 600 meters on the rainiest and coolest part of the mountain’s eastern slopes. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2022 Boccarossa Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2022 Cantina Maugeri “Contrada Volpare Frontebosco” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $60. click to buy.
2022 Cantina Maugeri “Contrada Volpare” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $40. click to buy.
2021 Serafica Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??

White Wines With a Score Around 9

2019 I Suoli Spumante Brut Nature, Sicily, Italy
Medium gold in the glass with a hint of peach and very fine bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard lemon pith and Meyer lemons. In the mouth, salty Meyer lemon mixes with seawater and very bright juiciness. Not austere, but with a deep minerality. Very tangy and delicious, as the French would say sapidité. 100% Nerello Mascalese. Spent 18 months on the lees in bottle. 11.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2020 Cantine di Nessuno “Milus” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon and lemon pith and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, lemon peel and saline flavors mix with wet chalkboard minerality and great acidity. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2021 Palmento Costanzo “Contrada Santo Spirito” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers and wet pavement with hints of honeysuckle and green apple. In the mouth, green apple, white flowers, and some nice salinity mix with wet chalkboard and lime juice. In the finish, there’s a hint of lemon juice and touch of nuttiness. A blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Cattarratto with 20% of the wine fermented and aged in 500hl wooden tanks, the rest in steel. 12% alcohol. $??

2019 Cantine di Nessuno “Milice” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light yellow gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd and lemon oil. In the mouth, saline flavors of rich lemon curd and lemon pith are bright and juicy with excellent acidity. 12.5% alcohol. $??

2021 Alta Mora Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd and wet chalkboard with hints of dried herbs. In the mouth, lemon pith and wet chalkboard flavors have a hint of waxiness and a lightly grippy texture. Sightly softer acidity. Fermented in steel with a house cultured yeast, and spends 1 year on lees. 100% Carricante. 12.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2022 Alta Mora Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and wet chalkboard with a hint of warm hay. In the mouth, bright lemony pith and lemon peel flavors have a bright salinity and juicy wet chalkboard minerality. Fresh and juicy. Fermented in steel with a house cultured yeast, and spends 1 year on lees.100% Carricante. 12.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2022 Terre Normanne Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of honeysuckle and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, lemon, honeysuckle, and wet pavement flavors have a nice salinity. Crisp and bright. 100% Carricante. 13% alcohol. $??

2020 Curtaz “Gamma” Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and white flowers. In the mouth, lemon pith and wet chalkboard flavors are bright and stony with great acidity and length. $72. click to buy.

2022 Graci Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of green apple and finger lime. In the mouth, bright lime and apple flavors mix with white flowers and citrus pith. Wonderful salinity and great acidity. A blend of 85% Carricante and 15% Catarratto. Grown at 600 meters on the northern slopes. Spends 8 months on lees in steel. 12.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2021 Graci “Muganazzi” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lime and green apple. In the mouth, the wine is somewhat austere with lime and lime pith flavors and a deep wet chalkboard minerality. Excellent acidity. 12% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2022 Statella Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass with a hint of green, this wine smells of white flowers, green apples, and hints of lime. In the mouth, bright salty lime and green apple skin mix with wet chalkboard and white flowers. Very tasty. A blend of 85% Carricante and 15% Catarratto. Steel fermented and aged with malolactic inhibited. Certified organic grapes. 12.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2021 Quantico Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of wet chalkboard, white flowers, and a hint of lime pith. In the mouth, salty lime and green apple flavors mix with wet-chalkboard minerality and a touch of green herbs. Salty and bright with a faint tannic or chalky texture. A blend of 80% Carricante, 10% Catarratto, and 10% Grillo. Cryomaceration overnight then pressed the next day. Left in tank after fermentation for 10 months. 14% alcohol. $33. click to buy.

2022 Torre Mora “Scalunera” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flowers, wet chalkboard, and sea air. In the mouth, green apple, lemon cucumber, and white flowers mix with wet pavement and a lovely saline aftertaste shot through with lime zest. Lean and bright. Tank fermented and aged, with commercial yeasts. Spends 4 months in steel with malolactic inhibited. 100% Carricante. Certified organic vineyard. 12.5% alcohol. $28. click to buy.

2022 Barone di Villagrande Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of apple, citrus pith, and herbs. In the mouth, candied lemon flavors mix with lemon pith, white flowers, and pomelo zest amidst bright acidity. Faint bitterness in the finish. 90% Carricante, and 10% other native white grapes, including Minella, grown at 700 meters on the eastern slopes of the volcano. Steel fermented and aged. Eastern slope. 12.5% alcohol. $26. click to buy.

2022 Cantine Edomè “Aitna” Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of finger lime, wet chalkboard, and green apple. In the mouth, salty flavors of lemon zest, apple, and white flowers have a wonderful crisp brightness thanks to excellent acidity. $??

2021 Ballasanti Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2022 Cantina Maugeri Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy $40. click to buy.
2022 Cantoneri “Tenuta del Dainara” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??

2022 Murgo “Tenuta San Michele” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2021 Pietradolce “Archineri” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $56. click to buy.
2022 Tenute Foti Randazzese “Me Gioiu” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2018 Terra Costantino “Contrada Blandano” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2021 Travaglianti Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??
2022 Vita Nova Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy $??

White Wines With a Score Between 8.5 and 9

2021 Palmento Costanzo “Bianco di Sei” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lime zest with hints of wet chalkboard. In the mouth, lime pith and green apple mix with a hint of white flowers and a touch of wet pavement. Good acidity and a little salinity. A blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto fermented with selected indigenous yeasts taken from the vineyard. Malolactic inhibited. Spends 8 to 9 months in stainless steel, and then one year in bottle. Organically grown. 12% alcohol.

2022 Fischetti “Moscamento” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, wet pavement, lemon pith, and dried herb flavors possess a stony minerality and good acidity. Hints of yellow herbs linger in the finish. A blend of 60% Carricante, 38% Catarratto, and 2% of Minella. 12% alcohol.

2016 Quantico White Blend White Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale yellow-gold in the glass, this wine smells of candied lemon, wax, and a hint of tropical fruit. In the mouth, candied lemon, a touch of butterscotch, wet chalkboard, and faint salinity make for a nice package that is still quite fresh. Good minerality. A blend of 80% Carricante, 10% Catarratto, and 10% Grillo. Cryomaceration overnight then pressed the next day. Left in tank after fermentation for 10 months. 13% alcohol.

2022 Girolamo Russo “Nerima” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith, wet chalkboard, and a hint of dried herbs. In the mouth, faintly saline lemon and grapefruit pith mix with dry hay and dried herbs. Slightly softer acidity here. A blend of 80% Carricante, 20% Catarratto, plus some Insolia and other old white varieties. Fermented with native yeasts. 80% in steel, 20% in large old oak. Ages for 6 months before bottling. 13.5% alcohol.

2020 Ballasanti “Il Tenace” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Camporè Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2021 Generazione Alessandro “Trainara” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 La Gelsomina Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Palmento Carranco “Villa dei Barone” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2021 Palmento Costanza Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2020 Rupestre Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2021 Rupestre Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Setteponte Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Tenuta Bosco Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2021 Terra Costantino Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Terre di Montalto Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Terre Normanne Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy

White Wines With a Score Around 8.5

2021 Monterosso “Volcano” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of golden apple and lemon pith. In the mouth, flinty flavors of sour lemon and unripe apple have good acidity and brightness.

2020 Aitala “Contrada Martinella” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of cooked apples, herbs, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, wet chalkboard, ripe golden apples, warm hay, and a touch of salinity have a light chalky grip to them. A blend of primarily Carricante and Catarratto with 5% Insolia and 5% Minella. 13.5% alcohol. 1000 bottles made.

2022 Tenuta delle Terre Nere “Cuvee delle Vigne Niche – Santo Spirito” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of vanilla, and toasted oak, and lemon pith. In the mouth, tighter lemon and nutty flavors have a compactness and compression that the combination of fermentation and aging oak has brought to the wine. Decent salinity and good acidity. Comes from the northern slope between 700 and 800 meters of altitude. 13% alcohol.

2022 Alta Mora Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Antichi Vinai Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Palmento Carranco “Contrada Carranco” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Tenute Mannino Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2021 Terre Darrigo Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Vini Pennisi Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Az. Ag. Sciara “Ubraico Sulla Luna” White Blend, Sicily, Italy

White Wines With a Score Between 8 and 8.5

2022 Azienda Agricola Camuglia “Grotta Rinotto” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy
2022 Barone di Villagrande Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy
2022 Donnafugata Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy

White Wines With a Score Around 8

2022 Cantine Iuppa “Lindo” Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy

Pink Wines

Pink Wines With a Score Around 9.5

2021 Generazione Alessandro “Vignazza” Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Palest peachy bronze in the glass, this wine smells of salty berries and flowers. In the mouth, wonderfully salty berry, wet chalkboard, and floral notes have a lovely acidity and great deep stony minerality. Gorgeous. Aged 80% in tanks and 20% in tonneau for a year. Then aged in bottle for another year. Certified organic grapes. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 12.5% alcohol. 3000 bottles made. $??

Pink Wines With a Score Between 9 and 9.5

2022 Alta Mora Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Pale coppery bronze in the glass, this wine smells of rosehips and orange peel. In the mouth, salty redcurrant, citrus peel, wet chalkboard, and bright grapefruit pith flavors have a gorgeous minerality. Gulpable. 100% Nerello Mascalese grown at 700m of elevation in Contrada Solicchiata. 13% alcohol. $21. click to buy.

2022 Torre Mora “Scalunera” Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Palest peachy pink in the glass, this wine smells of flowers and faint berry aromas. In the mouth, hibiscus and berry flavors have a saline, wet pavement minerality. Notes of orange peel linger in the finish. Tank fermented and aged, with commercial yeasts. Spends 4 months in steel with malolactic inhibited. 100% Nerello Mascalese. Certified organic vineyard. 12.5% alcohol. $16. click to buy.

2020 Tenuta Bosco Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Palest pink in color, this wine smells of stony and floral berries with a hint of sea air. In the mouth, very salty berries, flowers, and dried herbs mix with citrus for a wonderfully mouthwatering package. Sell it as “stoned berry water?” Probably not. But I like the concept. 100% Nerello Mascalese. $22.

2022 Girolamo Russo Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Palest peachy pink in the glass, this wine smells of crabapples, citrus peel, and flowers. In the mouth, redcurrant, herbs, salinity, and citrus peel mix with deeply wet chalkboard minerality. Citrus peel and aromatic herbs in the finish. Fantastic acidity. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 12.5% alcohol. $29. click to buy.

Pink Wines With a Score Around 9

2018 Torre Mora “Chiuse – Dosaggio Zero Sparkling Rosé” Spumante, Sicily, Italy
Palest copper in color, with medium fine bubbles, this wine smells of rosehips, citrus peel, and herbs. In the mouth, flavors of orange peel and rosehips are salty with berries and wet pavement. Medium-bodied mousse and lovely salinity. Spends 44 months on the lees. 12.5% alcohol. 3000 bottles made. $??

2022 Palmento Costanzo Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
A light coppery orange in the glass, this wine smells of candied orange peel and berries. In the mouth, bright orange peel, dried berries, grapefruit juice, and wet pavement flavors have a nice brightness. Spends a few hours on the skins, then finishes its fermentation in steel. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 12% alcohol. $31. click to buy.

2022 Terre Normanne Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Palest coppery pink in the glass, this wine smells of flowers and berries. In the mouth, silky flavors of berries and white flowers mix with a hint of orange peel and a nice aromatic sweetness that lingers in the finish. Spends 3 hours on skins and 5 months in steel, plus a few months in bottle before sale. Slightly more delicate acidity. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 13.5% alcohol. $??

2022 Cantina Maugeri Rosato, Sicily, Italy. $24. click to buy.

Pink Wines With a Score Around 8.5

2022 Statella Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Pale coppery pink in the glass, this wine smells of citrus peel and berries. In the mouth, the wine is quite silky with citrus peel and berry flavors. Saline but with a little softer acidity. Contains 20% Nerello Cappuccio. Steel fermented and aged with malolactic inhibited. Certified organic grapes. 13.5% alcohol.

2020 Monterosso “Volcano” Nerelllo Mascalese Etna Rosato, Sicily, Italy
Pale orangey-pink in the glass, this wine smells of tangy citrus and berries. In the mouth, herbs, citrus, and wet stone aromas mix with a hint of berries and wert chalkboard. Good acidity.

Red Wines

Red Wines With a Score Between 9.5 and 10

2021 Az. Ag. Sciara “Centenario” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights. This wine has an incredible perfume of sweet berries and flowers. In the mouth, sweet berries, herbs, and powdery tannins have a wonderfully sweet floral aroma, that remains juicy and long in the mouth. Fantastic acidity, amazing perfume, and incredible depth. 13% alcohol. $92. click to buy.

Red Wines With a Score Around 9.5

2020 Statella “Contrada Pignatuni – Vicchie Vigne” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of flowers, berries, and aromatic herbs. In the mouth, silky flavors of strawberry, orange peel, saline, and powdered stone are gorgeous and long. Long, ethereal powdered tannins wrap around the core of fruit as dried and aromatic herbs and florals emerge with time. A stunningly aromatic wine. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese, and 10% of other stuff that includes Grenache, Alicante, and more. Only free-run juice aged in 30% new French oak for 20 months. 14% alcohol. $65. click to buy.

2021 Tenuta Monteleone “Rumex” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of stony saline berries and flowers. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a core of juicy, bright, fresh berries, herbs, and crushed stones. Fantastic acidity, wonderful salinity, and muscular but supple tannins. Own-rooted vines planted in 1911. Outstanding. $49. click to buy.

2021 Tenuta Tascante “Ghiaia Nera” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of berries, herbs, and citrus peel. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around crushed stone, citrus peel, and forest berries. Lithe, light, tannins gain strength over time. Effortless. 100% Nerello Mascalese grown at 600 meters of elevation and aged in large Slavonian oak casks. 13% alcohol. $24. click to buy.

2019 Pietradolce “Contrada Rampante” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a floral and berry nose combined with aromatic herbs. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a core of berries, herbs, and wonderfully saline fruit. Excellent acidity and depth. Deeply stony and wonderfully perfumed. A fantastic wine. Spends 14 months in barrels. $44. click to buy.

2015 Pietradolce “Vigna Barbagali” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic herbs, flowers, and salty sea air. In the mouth, saline flavors of herbs, dried flowers, earth, and crushed stones are wrapped in muscular tannins. The wine has a deeply salty, stony quality with hints of sweet aged balsamic and incense. Fantastic. Spends 20 months in barrel. This wine comes from a section of Contrada Rampante known as Barbagali, which sports some of the oldest vines on the volcano. $119. click to buy.

2019 Pietradolce “Contrada Santo Spirito” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Pale ruby in the glass, this wine has a floral, struck-match nose of herbs and wet stone. In the mouth, salty flavors of berries and citrusy flavors linger along in the finish, wrapped in powdery, crushed-stone tannins. Utterly compelling. Spends 14 months in barrel. $55.

2021 Passopisciaro “Passorosso” Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a floral, salty, herbal nose with hints of red berries. In the mouth, salty, herbal, floral, and berry flavors are wrapped in chalk dust tannins that have a gorgeous supple quality. Fantastic acidity and depth. Mouthwatering and delicious. Some of the vineyards that go into this blend are outside of the DOC area, so the winery labels it as an IGT. Organically farmed. $44. click to buy.

2019 Curtaz “Il Purgatorio” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, sea air, and dried flowers. In the mouth, saline flavors of berries, crushed stone, and dried flowers are wrapped in powdery rock tannins that coat the mouth. There’s a long perfumed finish, here and great poise and balance, plus excellent acidity. $25. click to buy.

2019 Girolamo Russo “San Lorenzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of crushed stone and herbs. In the mouth, amazingly aromatic sweet berries, crushed stones, and dried herbs are wrapped in powdered stone tannins. Amazing acidity and freshness. This wine tastes like berry juice filtered through rocks. Persistence, depth, and complexity. Fantastic. 14.5% alcohol. $68. click to buy.

2020 Girolamo Russo “San Lorenzo – Piano della Colombe” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Pale to light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of balsamic, sweet berries, and flowers. In the mouth, wonderfully saline herbs, berries, and flowers are caressed by smooth, extra-refined, powdery tannins. Amazing acidity and incredible complexity. Comes from a flat, elevated plateau with powdery soil within the San Lorenzo vineyard that has mostly old vines, and usually yields the best fruit. Amazing. 14% alcohol. $140. click to buy.

2021 Tenute di Fessina “Erse Rosso” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of forest berries, bramble, and dried herbs. Gorgeous powdery, supple stone tannins, citrus peel, and forest berries flavors are bright and juicy. Great acidity, and a wonderful crushed stone aspect. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese, 8% Nerello Cappuccio, and 2% Minella and Carricante grown on the northern slope and vinified in steel. Vines planted in 1950. 13.5% alcohol. $31. click to buy.

2019 Alta Mora “Guardiola” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of incredibly floral forest berries and crushed stones mixed with chaparral herbs. In the mouth, salty flavors of bright forest berries and crushed stones are dusted with powdery stone tannins, while hints of citrus peel and wet chalkboard linger in a long finish in which the tannins gain muscle. Fantastic acidity and overall a really lovely wine. Comes from three hectares of century-old vines in the Guardiola vineyard between 900 and 1000 meters of elevation. 14% alcohol. $43. click to buy.

2019 I Custodi “Aetneus” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of earth, sweet cedar, and cherry. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around cherry, citrus peel, herbs, flowers, and earth. Amazing acidity, great depth, and resonance. Gorgeous. $26. click to buy.

2019 Graci “Sopra Il Pozzo – Contrada Arcuria” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Pale ruby in the glass, this wine has a perfumed floral and berry nose. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around citrusy berries and fresh powdered stone flavors. There’s a long, saline finish, marked by dried flowers, excellent acidity, and deep minerality. Outstanding wine. $187. click to buy.

Red Wines With a Score Between 9 and 9.5

2021 Tenuta Monteleone Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of salty air, floral perfume, herbs, and berries. In the mouth, juicy herbal flowers, berries, and powdery stone tannins have a wonderful saline quality, fantastic acidity, and brightness. Vibrant. $36. click to buy.

2021 Tenuta Monteleone “Qubba” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
A light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, herbs, and salty sea air. In the mouth, salty flavors of fresh berries, bright herbs, and flowers are wrapped in muscular tannins with great acidity, 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Vines planted in 1935. $68. click to buy.

2021 Cornelissen “Munjebel” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of berry and floral aromas. In the mouth, tangy berries and floral flavors are wrapped in silky tannins that have an almost creamy quality. Very good acidity, wonderful purity of fruit. $56. click to buy.

2020 Graci “Contrada Arcuria” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of floral, dried flowers, and berries. In the mouth, bright, juicy berry flavors have great acidity as citrus peel, berries, herbs, and crushed stones mix together with powdery rock tannins. Very tasty. $77. click to buy.

2019 Pietradolce “Archineri” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine has a floral aroma mixed with berries and citrus peel. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around citrus peel, berries, herbs, and dried flowers. Excellent acidity. Delicious. $38. click to buy.

2021 Girolamo Russo “Calderara Soltana” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic garrigue, with notes of thyme and other savory herbs mixing with wet pavement. In the mouth, intense crushed stone flavor and texture mix with berries and herbs. Powdery tannins gain weight over time. Overall this wine has the character of being liquid stone. Quite compelling. 14.5% alcohol. $70. click to buy.

2021 Girolamo Russo “San Lorenzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of two ricks struck together and aromatic herbs. In the mouth, amazing acidity and freshness mix with slightly spicy herbs, the scent of berries, dried flowers, and powdered stone tannins. 6900 bottles made. 14.5% alcohol. $68. click to buy.

2021 Girolamo Russo “Feudo di Mezzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of wet pavement, forest berries, dried herbs, and flowers. In the mouth, powdered stone tannins suffuse bright citrus peel, herbs, forest berries, and flowers. Fantastic acidity. Tannins gain muscle over time. 14.5% alcohol. $70. click to buy.

2021 Benanti “Contrada Dafara Galluzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of wet stone and berries with hints of florality. In the mouth, saline flavors of dried berries and dried flowers are fresh and bright with great acidity, backed by faint powdery tannins. Tasty. $55. click to buy.

2020 Boccarossa Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells salty with notes of floral and dried herbs and berries. In the mouth, salty flavors of fresh herbs, powdery tannins, and crushed stones wrap around a core of berry fruit. Excellent acidity. Delicious. $??

2021 Terra Costantino “deAetna” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of forest berries, bramble, and herbs. In the mouth, powdered stone, citrus peel, and berry flavors are surrounded by powdery fine tannins that are expansive and supple. Gorgeous. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese, and 10% Nerello Cappuccio grown on the southeastern slope between 450 and 550 meters. Aged in a combination of steel and oak. Certified organic. 13.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2019 Alta Mora Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass with a hint of brick at the rim, this wine smells of struck rocks, and dried herbs with hints of red fruits. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a core of ethereal berry flavors, wet pavement, and dried herbs with a hint of dried citrus peel. Tastes like it is filtered through stone. Tannins are stiffer. Fruit comes from century-old vines in Contrada Feudo di Mezzo. 13.5% alcohol. $33. click to buy.

2021 Generazione Alessandro “Sciaramanica” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of red berries, white balsamic, dried herbs, and earth. In the mouth, pulverized stone tannins wrap around a core of berries, wet pavement, dried herbs, and dried flowers. A touch of citrus peel in the finish merges with a deeply stony quality. Muscular tannins. 80-year-old vines of mostly Nerello Mascalese, with bits of odd red grapes mixed in. Fermented in steel, aged in tonneau for a year. Needs a little time. 14% alcohol. 2300 bottles made. $??

2021 Generazione Alessandro “Croceferro” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of berries, flowers, and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, powdery, stony tannins suffuse forest berries, dried herbs, and salty crushed stones. Excellent acidity. Fresh and juicy. Fermented in steel, aged in tonneau for a year. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 13.5% alcohol. $23. click to buy.

2016 Statella “Contrada Pettinochiarelle” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of two rocks smacked together, dried herbs, and salted berries. In the mouth, salty berries, dried herbs, citrus peel, and powdered stone have a lovely bright citrusy acidity. Juicy and salty and mouthwatering. 13.5% alcohol. $??

2021 Az. Ag. Sciara “1200 metri” Rosso Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of bright salty berries. In the mouth, fresh aromatic berries and sweet powdery tannins mix with salty stony qualities. Juicy and bright with hints of herbs and citrus peel. Delicious. 100% Grenache. $91. click to buy.

2020 Calcagno “Contrada Caldarara” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of struck match, floral berries, and herbs. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around fantastically bright citrus peel, dried flowers, and berry fruit. Great acidity. Mouthwatering and delicious. $??

Red Wines With a Score Around 9

2019 Cantine Nicosia “Monte San Nicoló” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in color, this wine smells of sweet aged balsamic and brown sugar. In the mouth, despite the aromas on the nose, this wine has great freshness with berry and crushed stone flavors mixing with citrus peel, as powdery tannins coat the mouth. $18. click to buy.

2021 Nicosia “Contrada Monte Gorna” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of forest berries and herbs. In the mouth, tight tannins wrap around a core of redcurrant and dried herbs, dried flowers, and wet chalkboard. Excellent, citrus-peel acidity lingers in the long finish. Needs some time. 90% Nerello Mascalese grown at 700 to 750 meters of elevation, aged in a combination of steel and wood. Certified organic. 13% alcohol. $33. click to buy.

2016 Cantine Nicosia “Monte Gorna Vecchie Viti Riserva” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Pale ruby in the glass with hints of brick at the rim, this wine smells of red apple skin, wet pavement, dried herbs, and petrichor. In the mouth, juicy, saline flavors of crushed herbs, citrus peel, dried berries, and wet pavement are all bright with excellent acidity and wrapped in a cloudy haze of powdery tannins. $37. click to buy.

2021 Girolamo Russo “Feudo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in color, this wine smells of pennyroyal and struck flint. In the mouth, dried herbs and flowers mix with just the barest scent of berries, wrapped in powdery rock tannins. Great acidity, with notes of citrus peel in the finish. 15% alcohol. 4500 bottles made. $68. click to buy.

2021 Girolamo Russo “a ‘Rina” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of forest berries, aromatic herbs, and dried flowers. In the mouth, excellent acidity enlivens flavors of bright berries, herbs, and citrus peel. Powdered stone tannins. The finish is quite fresh, with green herbs, bramble, and a hint of citrus pith lingering. Spontaneous fermentation begins in plastic bins before being transferred to old oak for aging. Blended after a year. 14% alcohol. $37. click to buy.

2021 Benanti “Contrada Monte Serra” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass with orange highlights, this wine smells of sweet berries, florals, and herbs. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a core of saline herbs, juicy dried flowers, berries, and chalk dust. Excellent acidity. $60. click to buy.

2021 Benanti “Calderara Sottana” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried cherry, herbs, and citrus peel. In the mouth, muscular powdery tannins wrap around a core of dried berries, dried flowers, and dried herbs. Thick, drying tannins parch the mouth slightly. Needs some time. $60. click to buy.

2021 I Custodi “Pistus” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, herbs, and dried flowers. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a core of cherry and forest berries mixed with fruit and herbs. Great acidity, great minerality. $32. click to buy.

2021 Torre Mora “Cauru” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of red berries and wet pavement. In the mouth, bright berry flavors mix with pulverized stones and a hint of dried herbs and flowers. Bright and juicy and a little fruity, but with a faintly grippy powdery tannic texture and a hint of bitterness lingering in the finish. Designed to be an entry-level wine. Fermented in steel, then spends three months in large oak casks. Made with purchased fruit. Contains 15% Nerello Cappuccio. 13% alcohol. $27. click to buy.

2020 Torre Mora “Scalunera” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, white balsamic, struck stones, and strawberry. In the mouth, strawberry and forest berries mix with powdered stone, dried herbs, and dried flowers. Powdery crushed stone tannins and great acidity. Fermented in steel, spends 18 months in large oak casks and tonneau. Contains 5% Nerello Cappuccio. 13.5% alcohol. $18. click to buy.

2018 Torre Mora “Chiuse Vidalba” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs, struck match, forest berries, and wet pavement. in the mouth, crushed-rock tannins surround citrus peel, wet pavement, dried herbs, berries, and earth. The tannins gain muscle over time and a hint of salinity lingers in the finish. Selection of old vines from 2 vineyards, with 5% Nerello Cappuccio. Fermented in steel, aged for 18 months in barrique, and 1.5 years in bottle before release. 13.5% alcohol. 300 bottles made. $34. click to buy.

2020 Az. Ag. Sciara “980” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a floral and fresh crushed stone nose. In the mouth, bright berry flavors are wrapped in powdery stone tannins. Notes of herbs and a touch of oak linger in a long finish. $79. click to buy.

2019 Alta Mora “Contrada Guardiola” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries and crushed rocks. In the mouth, tight tannins ripe around salty flavors of fresh berries, fresh herbs, dried herbs, and crushed stone. Tight tannins with great acidity. Long finish. $43. click to buy.

2020 Alta Mora Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of crushed stones, berries, and dried flowers. In the mouth, powdered stone and dried herbs mix with cherry and forest berries wrapped in a microfleece blanket of tannins. Juicy with bright acidity and a deeply mineral quality. Made of fruit from several contrade sitting between 650m and 900m elevation. 14% alcohol. $26. click to buy.

2019 Alta Mora “Contrada Feudo di Mezzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried flowers, herbs, and berries. In the mouth, berries, dried herbs, and a bright saline character are wrapped in powdery tannins. Freshness driven by great acidity. Tasty. $45. click to buy.

2021 Boccarossa “Contrada Porcaria” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs, flowers, and a hint of balsamic. In the mouth, the wine is exceedingly salty with thick tannins that wrap around a core of dried flowers, herbs, and fruit. Great acidity, but needs time. $??

2020 Statella “Contrada Pettinociarelle” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of herbs, flowers, and earth. In the mouth, dried herbs and dried flowers mixed with florist berries (yes, I misspelled forest in my initial tasting note, but honestly? it works) and powdery tannins. Excellent acidity. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio grown at 800 meters of elevation above Solichiatta. Vines are 20 years old and spur-pruned. The wine sees 10 days of punchdowns during fermentation before aging in 2-,3-, and 4-year-old tonneau for 15 months, and then one year in bottle before release. $40. click to buy.

2021 Quantico Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of mulberries, lavender, and dried flowers. In the mouth, muscular, powdery tannins wrap around a core of forest berries, lavender, dried flowers, and wet chalkboard. There’s a faint salinity here as well. A blend of 96% Nerello Mascalese and 4% Nerello Cappuccio. Aged in 50% steel, 50% used oak. 13.5% alcohol. $38. click to buy.

2020 Palmento Costanzo “Nero di Sei” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of sweet berries and dried herbs. In the mouth, juicy and bright berry flavors mix with dried herbs and flowers. Wonderful aromatic sweetness, with excellent acidity and very restrained but stony and powdery tannins. This wine is a blend of grapes from all the different areas they farm. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio that gets a 15-day maceration, before 24 months of aging in large Stockinger foudres and another year in bottle before sale. 13% alcohol. $38. click to buy.

2019 Palmento Costanzo “Prefilossera” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of sweet berries and cedar. In the mouth, dried herbs and berries, oak, and dried flowers. Tight tannins, and woody notes in the finish. A long maceration in rotating Tonneau, then 18 months in tonneau. Then one more year in bottle before release. A plot close to the chestnut trees with the highest concentration of ancient vines. 1500 bottles of this wine made each year. 14% alcohol. $98. click to buy.

2020 Ballasanti Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy $??
2020 Cantine Edomè “Feudo di Mezzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy $??

Red Wines With a Score Between 8.5 and 9

2020 Monterosso “Sisma” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in color, this wine smells of sweet berries and wet pavement. In the mouth, stony powdery tannins wrap around a core of crushed stone, herbs, and berries. The overall impression is of stone scented with berries.

2021 Terre Normanne Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs, dried flowers, and citrus peel with a hint of red fruit. In the mouth, bright citrus peel and berry flavors mix with dried herbs and powdery stone tannins. Hint of savory herbs linger in the finish. 100% Nerello Mascalese spends 3 months in French oak and 6 months in stainless, plus some additional aging in bottle before release. This is the second vintage of this wine. 14% alcohol.

2017 Stagnitta “Contrada Santo Spirito” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass with orange at the rim, this wine smells of dried herbs and road dust. In the mouth, silky flavors of dried flowers, berries, and pulverized stone mix with citrus peel and hints of cedar. Powdered-stone tannins. Good acidity. 14.5% alcohol.

2021 Benanti “Contrada Cavalliere” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of berries and herbs. In the mouth, a core of sweet berry flavor is wrapped in muscular tannins that thicken and stiffen over time. Herbs and dried flowers linger in the finish.

2021 Benanti “Contrada Monte Serra” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, sawdust, and herbs. In the mouth, powerful tannins wrap around a core of citrus peel and dried herbs. The tannins tighten perceptibly and turn grippy as the wine finishes with very stony qualities. 100% Nerello Mascalese aged in steel and old oak. 14.5% alcohol.

2020 Monterosso “Volcano” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of berries, wet stone, and herbs. In the mouth, tart boysenberry and cherry flavors are stony and wrapped with powdery tannins. Very good acidity.

2017 Palmento Costanza “Contrada Santo Spirito” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of strawberries and aged balsamic. In the mouth, muscular tannins surround a core of brambly cherry and berry, with dried herbs and dried flowers, earth, herbs, and crushed stones. Some wood flavor emerges on the finish. A blend of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio. 20 days of maceration followed by 24 months in a large French oak egg. 14% alcohol.

2020 Tenuta Bosco Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of struck stones, dried herbs, and citrus peel. In the mouth, mellow, stony tannins wrap around a core of bright juicy berries with dried herbs and a slight salinity. Decent acidity.

2020 Stagnitta Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Pale to light ruby in the glass with a hint of orange at the rim, this wine smells of dried herbs and flowers, with some red berries underneath. In the mouth, powdery, stony tannins wrap around a core of dried berries, dried herbs, crushed stone, and orange peel. Mouth-coating stony tannins. A hint of salinity. 14% alcohol.

2018 Antichi Vinai “Petra Lava” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
2020 Cantine Edomè “Aitna” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
2020 Carranco Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
2020 Casale 120 “Contrada Piccolo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
2020 Casale 120 “Senecio” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
2019 Vita Nova Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy

Red Wines With a Score Around 8.5

2016 Quantico Nerello Mascalese Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of wet stone, dried flowers, and dried herbs. In the mouth, powdered stone tannins wrap around a deeply stony core of citrus peel and dried herbs. Road dust and pulverized stone mix with notes of aromatic herbs in the finish. 13.5% alcohol.

2005 Aitala Nerello Mascalese Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby-brick in color, this wine smells of leather and dried herbs. In the mouth, salty bacon fat and leather flavors mix with dried herbs and dried flowers. Powdery tannins counterpoint a deep crushed-stone minerality. 14% alcohol.

2020 Aitala “Contrada Martinella” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of dried herbs, dried flowers, white balsamic, and red berries. In the mouth, powdery, muscular tannins wrap around a core of berries, dried herbs, and dried flowers. The tannins dry out as the wine moves across the palate. 13% alcohol.

2018 Torre Mora “Chiuse Vidalba” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy

Red Wines With a Score Between 8 and 8.5

2021 Tenuta Masseria Setteporte Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Dark ruby with garnet highlights, this wine smells of oak and berries. In the mouth, oak and oak and berries and sawdust feel like a wooden attack wrapped in fleecy, tight muscular tannins. Overdone. 100% Nerello Mascalese grown on a southwest slope at 700 to 730 meters of elevation. Fermented and aged in a combination of concrete and oak. 14.5% alcohol.

2021 Quantico Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dusty roads, dried herbs, and wet wool. In the mouth, citrusy cedar and powdered stone mix with dried flowers and berries held tightly in a thick fist of very muscular tannins. Good acidity. 100% Nerello Mascalese. Spends 16 months in tanks, with 50% in barrel. 13.5% alcohol.

2021 Tenuta delle Terre Nere “Dogala Bocca D’Orzo” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Medium to dark ruby in the glass, this wine smells of sweet forest berries, strawberries, and oak. In the mouth, sweet oak overwhelms flavors of strawberry and forest berries. Ripe and lush, with powdery mouth-coating tannins. Oak suffuses the finish with sweet vanilla and toast. 100% Nerello Mascalese. 14% alcohol.

Red Wines With a Score Around 8

2015 Fischetti “Moscamento” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light ruby in the glass with brick and orange highlights, this wine smells of brown sugar and herbs. In the mouth, brown sugar and cedar and herbs and wood have a slightly raisined, dried fruit quality. 13.5% alcohol. 2600 bottles made.

Red Wines With a Score Around 7.5

2014 Fischetti “Riserva – Gran Comte” Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Light coffee / brick red in the glass, this wine smells of brown sugar and raisins. In the mouth, citrus peel, cedar, and herbs mix with powdery tannins and leather. Tired and a bit old. From 180-year-old vines. Pure Nerello Mascalese. 700 bottles made. 13.5% alcohol.