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| Rinazzu is our new exciting project with Salvo Foti. The name "rinazzu" is a local word for the rain that is seeded by volcano ash. The label depicts Mt Etna (the famous volcano of sicily) with it's smoke becoming a grape bunch.
With a single mind, Salvo made it his mission to preserve the great Alberello (“little tree”) trained vines of Etna - trained up on stakes (Salvo favors chestnut posts), as in ancient Greece, and planted on stone terraces. The Romans taught the Siciliani to plant these stakes in a pattern of 5 called a Quincunx. Salvo has also been a big promoter of the old wineries called Palmento; these gravity-fed stone structures were outlawed for winemaking by the EU but winemakers like Salvo are keeping this ancient tradition alive. Salvo isn’t just an academic preservationist. He has been making wines under his own label and consulting with the top wineries of Etna for years, in many instances being the founding winemaker. He is now recognized for the fabulous quality and natural expression of the wines he produces.
Farming practices: organic. The vineyard is cultivated by hand and with natural products. Cultivation and vinification are carried out according to the lunar phases. |
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| Carricante |
95% Carricante and 5% Minnella, a variety indigenous to Sicily where it is grown in the foothills of Mount Etna. The grapes come from both young and 30 year old vines planted in Contrada Caselle in Milo, a town on the east face of Mt. Etna - about 800 meters (2625 feet) above sea level. This is the coolest growing area on Etna, perfect for white wines. The grapes are harvested mid-October and gently whole cluster pressed. Because of Carricante's high acidity, the grapes are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks (Foti avoids barrels as they emphasize the grape's high acidity) and the wine goes through partial malolactic fermentation. Light filtration at bottling. Only small doses of sulfites are added during vinification and at bottling. The wine has a greenish hue, not from the skins but the natural color of the juice.
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| Etna Rosso |
80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, a variety mainly grown around Mount Etna. The grapes come from 20 year old vines planted in Contrada Moganazzi in Castiglione di Sicilia, a village on the north face of Mt. Etna - about 650 meters (2130 feet) above sea level. They are harvested mid-October. Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, light filtration at bottling. Only small doses of sulfites are added during vinification and at bottling.
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| Etna Rosso Selezione Speciale |
80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, a variety mainly grown around Mount Etna. The grapes come from 20 and 40 year old vines planted in Contrada Moganazzi in Castiglione di Sicilia, a village on the north face of Mt. Etna - about 650 meters (2130 feet) above sea level. They are harvested mid-October. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for about 12 months in 225 and 500 liter barrels. Light filtration at bottling. Only small doses of sulfites are added during vinification and at bottling.
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