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Randazzo (CT) · Etna
Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, above the Al-Cantàra vineyards

The Land of Etna

On the highest active volcano in Europe, where every eruption renews the earth and shapes a terroir like no other.

The Land

A unique ecosystem

Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, rises to 3,340 metres and forms a unique ecosystem for viticulture.

Its slopes are made of volcanic soils that range from pebbly to sandy and ashy in texture. Renewed by every eruption, these soils are rich in the minerals essential for healthy vine growth. The biodiversity of the area helps to create wines with distinctive sensory profiles.

The slopes of Etna and its volcanic soils 3,340 m · active volcano
The climate of Etna and the temperature swings between day and night Up to 25 °C of swing
The Climate

The altitude that makes the difference

Etna's climate is strongly shaped by altitude. Unlike the typical Mediterranean Sicily, the mountain zone has cooler temperatures, with significant swings of up to 25 degrees between day and night.

Rainfall, too, is far more frequent than in the rest of the island. These conditions favour a balanced ripening of the tannins in the red wines and allow the aromas of the whites to develop in harmonious fashion.

The Terroir

Volcanic minerality

The terroir of Etna is born of unique geological, climatic and viticultural factors.

The combination of fertile soils and the microclimate created by altitude allows the cultivation of the native grape varieties — Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante — which express the minerality of the volcanic soil and their bond with the Etna territory, yielding wines of great personality, marked freshness and elegance.

Red

Nerello Mascalese

The "king" of Etna wines: elegance, structure, minerality.

Red

Nerello Cappuccio

Colour and softness, the perfect complement to Mascalese.

White

Carricante

Volcanic minerality and remarkable longevity.

Discover the grapes
The volcanic terroir of Etna and its native grape varieties Native Etna grapes
The History of the Wine

A thousand-year tradition

From the first Greek plantings to the modern revival, the wine of Etna is a journey nearly three thousand years long.

7th–5th c. BC
The Greeks colonise Sicily (729 BC) and introduce viticulture, which spreads along the slopes of the volcano. Under the Romans the Etna territory reaches great development.
16th – 18th c.
The wines of Etna gain prestige. The wine of the County of Mascali is exported as far as Malta; the opening of the port of Riposto makes the region a commercial hub.
19th century
Production expands enormously: Catania becomes the most heavily planted province in Sicily, with over 90,000 hectares of vineyards.
Early 1900s
Phylloxera and eruptions destroy much of the vines. Planted land falls to around 40,000 hectares; many vineyards are converted to hazelnut and chestnut groves.
11 August 1968
Etna obtains the DOC, the first in Sicily and one of the oldest in Italy.
1990s → today
New investors rekindle interest in the native grape varieties. Etna is today a terroir of extraordinary importance on the world wine stage.
In Figures

The volcano in numbers

3,340 m
Maximum altitude
≈ 700 m
Vineyard altitude
25 °C
Temperature swing
1968
First DOC in Sicily