This Etna Rosso is predominantly Nerello Mascalese with some Nerello Cappuccio, grown in the Scirto Vineyard in Etna’s northern contrada of Feudo di Mezzo. Fermentation took place in stainless steel with ambient yeasts, and the wine was raised for one year in oak casks.
This is a mountain wine, by which I mean it speaks of resin, berry, mineral, and fresh air. It’s a limpid garnet color with a clear rim, and its fragrance is an infusion of rose petals and violets, juniper berries and cypress, wet stone and dry clay. Its attack is high-pitched and fragile like a struck chime, then it blooms into red berry fruit and rustic tannins before a finishing acid flame-out.
Pair it two ways: It’s cleansing with the rich and savory, like salumi, roasts, and cheesy gratins, and it’s harmonious with the lean and sharp, like roasted vegetables and poultry. With cheese alone, try those made with aged cow’s and sheep’s milk, skipping the lactic cheeses and the blues.
