Al-Cantàra Luci Luci Etna Bianco 2021
£28.75
The wine
Aromatic notes of flowers, golden apple and tropical fruit are accompanied by flinty mineral overtones, typical of the native Carricante grape. Refreshing and crisp, with a lovely spicy finish.
Luci Luci is varietal Carricante given more serious handling and time on its lees. Etna's vines are ungrafted, since phylloxera cannot survive in volcanic ash, and many are over a century old and trained as free-standing alberello bushes. Altitude of 600 to 900 metres gives a growing season closer to Piedmont than to Sicily.
The producer
Al-Cantàra
View all Al-Cantàra winesAl-Cantara sits on the northern slopes of Etna at Randazzo, and the name comes from the Arabic al-qantara, meaning the bridge, after the river that runs below the estate. Sicily was under Arab rule for more than two centuries, and the language left a great deal behind.
Etna is unlike anywhere else in Italy. The vineyards sit at 600 to 900 metres on black volcanic soil, terraced on the flanks of an active volcano, and the vines are ungrafted because phylloxera cannot survive in the ash. Many are well over a century old, trained as free-standing alberello bushes. The altitude gives a growing season closer to Piedmont than to the rest of Sicily, and Nerello Mascalese has been compared to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir for good reason.
The wines are named in Sicilian dialect, and the estate is also known for pairing each label with contemporary art and poetry. Farming is organic, and production is small.
