Etna Vineyards

If Sicily, climatically, is a continent, Etna represents its most northern aspect. Being in the Randazzo area in August, and having to sleep with a blanket at night, describes us very well in what context we find ourselves. It is true that we are at 700-800 m asl and on the north side of the volcano, but we are also in the south of the Mediterranean. Under this sky, the overlap of lava flows different from each other, the formation of land that took place over the millennia, the different altitudes, complete a picture that is unique to define is too simplistic. Because the painting is a puzzle, in which the tesserae, are many small terraces, strongly desired by man, each with specific characteristics and different to their own interior. In this extraordinary context the vine that over the centuries has expressed the best peculiarities, was the Nerello Mascalese, a variety with a very long vegetative cycle, whose grapes are ready for harvest often after the middle of October. The climatic trend, the quality of the soils and the characteristics of the vine make sure that the resulting wines, different from vineyard to vineyard, from district to district, are all of great finesse, but also of the same pleasantness. Discreet to the eye with their faint ruby color, but explosive in the perfumes, generous and persuasive. The vineyards are located in the Contradas of: Contrada Marchesa, Santo Spirito ( Castiglione di Sicilia), and Bocca d'Orzo di Randazzo). In addition, every year purchase of the excellent grapes from neighbors who cultivate with our same criteria and attention. Soon one of the wines will be marketed with the Contrada on the label, as required by the production regulations. The management of the vineyards is in the hands of Maestro Antonio Bordonaro and his students Edy, Carmelo and Nunzio, expert people of the place who, with knowledge and ability, know how to read the plants and observe what happens in the sky, following the rules of what I call Traditional Agriculture. As my family has always done, in the Marche first and then in Tuscany. Only fertilization through organic substance, manure, and agronomic practices such as green manure of legumes. Bordeaux mixture and sulfur for the control of diseases, manual processing to reduce the competition of weeds, whose presence in the summer, once dried by the sun, can also be the cause of fires and destruction of the vineyard itself. Respect for the environment, for the people who work there and for the consumer are fundamental and indivisible elements of the concept of quality.