During our stay in Paloma and Catania in Sicily, we tasted a variety of Sicilian wines including the native ‘Nero d’Avola’ grape variety that is grown widely across the island. It is the most planted grape variety in Sicily and is resilient to the hot, dry climatic conditions. This black grape has a thick skin that helps to protect it from the intense sun whilst retaining its natural acidity.
Mt Etna, Sicily July 2026
No trip to Sicily is complete without a visit to Mt Etna, the active volcano to the east of the island. Despite the volcano puffing away in the background, vineyards have been grown on its slopes tracing back 2,700 years, and Mt Etna was designated Sicily’s first DOC wine region in 1968. Some of the best wines of the island come from the Etna DOC.
The vineyards on the slopes of Mt Etna are planted at high-altitude in fertile mineral rich soil. Due to the unique microclimate, altitude, slope, aspect, and soil composition shaped by the age and mineral make-up of the specific lava flows, ash, pumice and sand underlying the vines, has created distinct conditions that have now been classified into separate Contrade (Contrada: singular). There are currently 142 officially recognised Contrade across the Etna DOC.
Mt Etna has developed a “Cru” system that acts as an official framework for classifying their wine. When a wine is made from 100% of the grapes from a single named Contrada, the producer can feature that Contrada name on the label. Blending across different Contrada means the wine must use the broader Etna DOC designation, without the specific site name.
Our first stop was to Tenuta delle Terre Nere. The Estate was established in 2002 by Marco de Grazia, on the northern slope of the Etna volcano, the area historically known as the finest for red wine production. Tenuta delle Terre Nere has grown significantly and currently has 45 hectares spread out across three slopes of Mt Etna. The vineyard parcels are across 30 plots in nine different Contradas (Crus), planted at elevations ranging between 600 and 1,000m. Marco de Grazia is a strong advocate for championing single-vineyard (Contrada) expressions of native grapes, and Tenuta delle Terre Nere continue to this day to harvest every parcel within each Contrada separately, in an attempt to express the polyedric nature of Etna’s terroirs, in its purity.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere has a rare parcel of land, under 1 hectare, in the Calderara Sottana Contrada that have ungrafted vines over 140-150 years old, having survived the 1881 phylloxera plague, thanks to the volcanic silicon-rich soils.
After a tour of the winemaking facilities and a walk through one of the vineyards, we had the opportunity to enjoy tasting a number of Grand Cru and Premier Cru from various Contrada, made from indigenous Etna grape varieties of ‘Nerello Mascalese’ (red) and ‘Carricante’ (white). It was really interesting in tasting wines side by side, both made by the same wine maker, of the same vintage, both made from 100% of the same native grapes, but noting the influence of the different terroir / Contrada, in the final expression of the wine.
With the white wines, we were impressed with tasting the 2024 Etna Bianco ‘Calderara Sottana’, (Grand Cru), side by side with the 2024 Etna Bianco ‘Caselle’ (Premier Cru), made from grapes from the Caselle Contrada, on the eastern slope of Mt Etna.
For the reds, all made from the 100% Nerello Mascalese grape variety, native to Mt Etna, we were impressed with two of their Grand Crus: the 2023 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana and the 2023 Etna Rosso San Lorenzo.
It was quite surreal, to be sitting, relaxing, tasting wine over an extended period, and being educated on Contrada classification and soil types, whilst having an active volcano in eyesight, sending its billowing puffs of smoke skyward. In between the enjoyable moments of the tasting, you found yourself questioning whether you should really be planning a hasty retreat … you couldn’t help but ask the question as to when was the last time that Mt Etna erupted …. only to be given firsthand experiences from our host who then pointed towards how close the latest lava flow came to the property, and where we were now sitting….
We also visited the Tornatore Wine Estate, a family winery that has been operating since 1865. Tornatore have a Valedmone line of sparkling white wines made from 100% Nerello Mascalese (Sicily’s signature red grape variety) made in the Charmat method. We also tasted several of their still wines including the 2023 Etna Bianco Pietrarizzo (Contrada planted at 400m), and their 2022 Etna Bianco Zottorinotto (Contrada planted at around 700m altitude) both made with Carricante and their Etna Rosso made from 95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappuccio.
During our wine travels we also visited the Passopisciaro winery, which has 26 hectares of vineyards spread out over the northern slope of Mt Etna between 550m to 1,000m in altitude with the lava flows and the varying altitudes determining the character of each Contrada. In 2000, Andrea Franchetti, of Vini Franchetti, began restoring an old farm and cellars on the northern slope of Mt Etna. His first task was to clear and restore long-abandoned terraces of old vines and undertook replanting at 12,000 vines per hectare. He focused on the native grape variety of Nerello Mascalese and its various expressions of terroir and altitude and then complemented this with introducing international varieties of Chardonnay, Petit Verdot and Cessanese d’Affile.
It was really interesting to have the opportunity to taste an international variety that we were already accustomed to, and to then appreciate the influence of the altitude and the mineral lava soils on the final wine. We tasted a 2024 Passobianco, made from 100% Chardonnay grapes sourced from the Guardiola and Montedolce Contrade. There was also the ‘Franchetti’ to taste that was a blend of Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile.
During the visit we were also provided the opportunity to taste and compare the 2022 and the 2021 Nerello Mascalese, produced from old vines, and to realize the difference that the weather played. The 2021 vintage was described as being a superb year as it featured a cool spring with a long, even ripening season. This was in contrast with 2022, that was a dry, warm, drought year that produced wines with a little more texture.
The comprehensive wine tasting provided a wonderful opportunity to really appreciate the impact of Contrada. We tasted five wines, all 100% Nerello Mascalese from the 2024 vintage, each from a different Contrada. The soil of the Contrada Chiappemacine that is predominantly limestone with a thin layer of lava, where the Nerello Mascalese vines are 100 years old; the Contrada Feudo di Mezzo sits on a lava flow from 1566, where the vines are 90 years old; the Contrada Rampante is the highest Contrada, located on an antique lava flow, where the vines are 120 years old; The Contrada Sciarunova is located on a 400 year old lava flow and the vines are 80 years old; the soil on Contrada Guardiola is of an antique pyroclastic origin and the vines are 140 years old.
