Mount Etna is a natural wonder located about 25 miles northwest of Catania on the eastern side of Sicily. It was formed two hundred thousand years ago in an ancient seabed and is Europe’s largest active volcano. Constant eruptions have created a mosaic of rugged soils based on lava, pumice, and ash. There are different ages of depths, drainage, fertility and mineral compositions depending on one’s location on the eastern slope.

The Mount Etna DOC was established in 1968 and was the first DOC in Sicily to obtain recognition for its wines. In 2013, Mount Etna was added as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Etna is divided into four distinct municipalities, each with distinct soil, elevation and distinctive exposure characteristics due to the complexity of Etna’s volcanic eruptions and lava flows over the years. It is broken down into the Northern Slope, the Eastern Slope, the Southern Slope, and the Southwestern Slope.

Since phylloxera couldn’t reach Etna’s fertile volcanic soil, the vines overall are incredibly old, and almost always own-rooted. Grapes are the ideal crop here. Winds off the ocean keep summer heat, disease and pests at bay, making it very easy to be organic. The upper mountain is barrel, but the slopes under 2000 meters have incredible biodiversity and fertility.

Terre di Montalto is on the southwestern slope of Etna. Normally this area is lower in altitude than its more prestigious neighbor, the Northern Slope. However, the elevation of this estate is unique in that it sits between 860 and 960 meters (2800 feet to 3200 feet) above sea level. Most of the southwestern slope is lower – between 400m to 1000m maximum. The soils here are called ‘Ripiddu’ – which is very old soil. It is comprised of sand and fist-sized basalt from very old lava flows that break into stones over time.

The estate is in Biancavilla and owned by three brothers, who cultivate 6.5 hectares of terraced, steep, own-rooted vines. Since the end of the 19th century the family has been involved in the cultivation of vineyards, but it wasn’t until 1980 when they started bottling their own wine. They finally built their own winery in 2018.

They produce only autochthonous varieties – Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for red wines and Carricante and Cataratto for white wines.

Etna Bianco
The Etna Bianco is 95% Caricante and 5% Cataratto. The terraced vines are 60 years old and trained in both Spalliere and Albarello. The grapes are hand harvested and sorted stringently in the vineyard and again at the cantina. They are then softly pressed and fermented at a temperature between 13-16 degrees Celsius. The wine spends 6 months on the lees and is aged for another 6 in stainless after racking.

Etna Rosso
The Etna Rosso is 85% Nerello Mascalese and 15% Nerello Capuccio. The terraced vines are 60 years old and trained in Spalliere. The grapes are hand harvested and sorted stringently in both the vineyard and again at the cantina. After pressing the grapes, the punch downs and macerated for a total of 30 days. The wine ferments in stainless and then is passed through used oak barrels and then put back into stainless for further ageing.