Terrazze dell’Etna Carusu Etna Rosso 2024
£21.75
The wine
An elegant wine, with ripe red fruit and spicy nuances on the nose. Those vibrant notes give way to a well-structured body of round tannins and a clean, lingering finish.
Eighty per cent Nerello Mascalese with 20 per cent Nerello Cappuccio, from vineyards in the municipality of Randazzo on the north-west side of Etna. At 600 metres the vines average thirty years, planted densely at some 7,500 per hectare and head-trained in the local Etneo fashion, on dark volcanic soil formed from the breakdown of ancient lava. Antonio Bevilacqua, a Palermo engineer proud of his Sicilian roots, began buying land on the mountain in 2007 and now farms 35 hectares with a further 20 rented. 2024 brought drought, no snow on the peaks over winter and a severe dry summer that pulled harvest forward a fortnight and cut yields. Fermented with at least 40 days on skins, then six months in stainless steel, six in barrel and a further twelve in bottle before release.
The producer
Terrazze dell'Etna
View all Terrazze dell'Etna winesTerrazze dell'Etna farms the black volcanic terraces of Mount Etna, one of the most thrilling wine landscapes on earth. At altitude on Sicily's active volcano, the vines draw energy and minerality from soils of lava, ash and sand.
Here the indigenous grapes reign, Nerello Mascalese for the reds and Carricante for the whites. The dramatic diurnal swings of the mountain preserve freshness and perfume that feel closer to the mountains of the north than the Mediterranean below.
The Cirneco Etna Rosso is a red of red-fruit clarity and fine, savoury tannin, while the Ciuri and Cinniri whites capture the smoky, citrus-edged tension that only Etna can give.
Vivid, mineral and utterly of their place, these are wines for the adventurous palate. Discover the fire and grace of Etna.
