Home » Jazz Articles » Jazz Uncorked » Red Wines From Etna

Red Wines From Etna

Courtesy Etna Wine Lab

By Matt Penman
August 10, 2021
Sign in to view read count

One of the weirdest wine regions in the world, the vines of Etna on the Italian island of Sicily grow on the slopes of the huge active volcano which is constantly belching gases and ash, and occasionally letting loose lava flows that can threaten all the hard work of the daring winemakers that choose to work there. The resulting soils however are ridiculously rich, and different micro climates around the mountain make it a terroir geek's paradise: for instance some vineyards' unique characteristics come from specific lava flows emanating from different eruptions over the centuries.

The two workhorses of Etna's red wines are Nerello Mascalese, which is very light in color, and Nerello Cappuccio which is darker but less tannic. Both go into the principal wine, simply called Etna Rosso. Very good sparkling wine is made too, and presents quite a bargain. The idiosyncrasies of the soil and the occasional shower of ash contribute to an unmistakable volcanic character in the wine, which centuries of tradition have worked to exploit. If this all sounds like a glass full of smoke don't worry: the reds have the fruit to take it on.

If you'd like to explore further up the price ladder I'd recommend the wines of I Vigneri, and for something really sui generis the whole range of Frank Cornelissen, a Belgian who bears no small responsibility for Etna's recent wine renaissance.

2019 Frank Cornelissen Suscaru Rosso

By Matt Brewer
Bass

About the Wine

Compared to the idyllic rolling hills of Tuscan wine country, Mt. Etna's volcanic soils appear jagged, desolate, almost other-worldly; like the earth must have looked in the early days of its formation. Being one of the world's most active volcanos, Etna's eruptions are a frequent occurrence, and this geological activity is a big part of what makes the terroir so special.

The nearest airport is in the seaside city of Catania, home to one the most iconic seafood markets in the world. Drive just 40 minutes up the volcano to the much smaller town of Randazzo and the local restaurants will steer you away from their seafood offerings. As one waiter explained to me on a trip a few years back, "you eat seafood in Catania, here you should try meat, cheese, vegetables." This hyper-focus on truly local ingredients extends to the kinds of wines that are proudly served.

One of the very first natural wines I ever tasted was Frank Cornelissen's iconic 'Contadino' which he has renamed 'Suscaru Rosso.' The Belgian born Cornelissen has achieved a sort of cult-like status in the natural wine world and one sip of 'Suscaru' will give you an indication why. The iconic Sicilian grape Nerello Mascalese makes up 85% of the wine, while the rest is a combination of varietals including Nerello Capuccio, Minella Nera, Allicante Bouschet, and Minella Bianco.

On the nose I get a strong impression of dark fruit—particularly black cherry with subtler notes of ash/smoke. The palette has an immediate and pleasing acidity, tangerine-like, which evolves into a rounder, darker, prune flavor. There's a lovely tannic structure, and a slightly round feel almost as if the wine had seen some oak, but aging for this wine is done exclusively in neutral epoxy tanks. This 2019 vintage is quite classic tasting compared to the beautifully funky early vintages, and is about as clean as any natural wine I've come across recently. At $34.99, this wine isn't dirt cheap, but it's as joyful and full of life as many bottles twice the price.