Story of the wine:
The wines produced from the vineyards surrounding the Etna volcano are the new, re-discovered wines of the last decade. In the 1990s Etna was on its death bed with just a handful of producers. Then in the 2000s the region and the local grape varieties were recognised as being capable of
making great wines. Nerello Mascalese is a local grape identified as such in the 18th century. It is almost exclusively grown in Sicily and mainly in
the east of the island around the volcano. The vineyards are all in local districts called Contrada, each of which has different characteristics to
bring to its wines. Cottanera was founded in the 1990s by Guglielmo Cambria together with his brother Enzo and is now recognised as being
one of the key wineries that sparked the Etna revival.
Area: From vineyards in Contrada Diciassettesalme, just north of the volcano with a mix of volcanic and alluvial soils.
Altitude: 750m above sea level
Av. age of vines: 12 years old
Harvest: Early October
Vinification: After a soft pressing and a 25-30 day maceration no pre fermentation maceration it is fermented using local yeasts at 280C in stainless steel vats. There is a malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels.
Ageing: Aged for 8 months in 40hl French oak barrels.
