Wine Denomination from Sicily
Etna wine comes from the slopes of Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, in eastern Sicily. The main styles are Etna Rosso, a pale, perfumed red made mostly from Nerello Mascalese, and Etna Bianco, a crisp white made mostly from Carricante. The denomination also covers a rosato and a traditional-method sparkling wine. Etna became a DOC in 1968, the first in Sicily. Vineyards climb from about 400 meters to over 1,000 meters on black volcanic soils, which makes these wines fresher and lighter than most Sicilian wine.
Etna Rosso is a dry, light- to medium-bodied red. It is pale ruby to garnet in color, with high acidity and fine but noticeable tannins. Typical aromas are red cherry, raspberry, dried herbs, orange peel and a smoky, earthy note that many tasters link to the volcanic soil. The blend is at least 80% Nerello Mascalese, a late-ripening red grape named after the Mascali plain below the volcano. The rest is usually Nerello Cappuccio, which adds color and softness. Young Etna Rosso is lively and fruity. Good bottles gain savory, earthy notes with five to ten years in the cellar.
Etna Rosso is often compared to Pinot Noir and red Burgundy. The comparison holds in some ways: both wines are pale, perfumed and high in acidity, and both change from one vineyard to the next. Nerello Mascalese, though, usually has more tannin than Pinot Noir, so many tasters also compare it to Nebbiolo, the grape of Barolo. Think of Etna Rosso as its own wine, with a little of both. If you like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo or lighter Italian reds, it is worth trying. It is very different from Sicily's other famous red, the riper and darker Nero d'Avola.
In the US, a basic Etna Rosso or Etna Bianco from a good producer costs about $20–35. Single-contrada reds usually cost about $40–80. The most sought-after bottles, such as top whites from Milo or the rarest single-vineyard reds, can cost more. Prices are higher than for most Sicilian wine because the vineyards are steep, high and often terraced, so most of the work is done by hand. Many old vines also give small crops.
There is no single best Etna producer, but these are widely respected and have pages in our catalog:
- North slope reds: Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Passopisciaro, Graci, Girolamo Russo, Pietradolce, Tenuta di Fessina and Frank Cornelissen, a well-known natural-wine producer.
- Whites and the east and south-east: Benanti, whose Pietra Marina is a benchmark Etna Bianco Superiore, Cantine Nicosia and Murgo, known for sparkling wine.
- Reliable and easier to find: Cottanera, Tornatore, Palmento Costanzo, I Custodi delle Vigne dell'Etna, and the Etna wines of larger Sicilian houses such as Planeta, Donnafugata, Firriato, Cusumano and Tasca d'Almerita.
For specific bottles, see our best Etna wines guide.
The Etna zone covers about 20 communes in the province of Catania. It forms a horseshoe around the volcano, open on the west side. Each slope gives a different style:
- North (Randazzo, Castiglione di Sicilia, Linguaglossa): the heart of Etna Rosso. Cool nights and high vineyards give perfumed, structured reds. Passopisciaro and Solicchiata are well-known villages here.
- East (Milo, Sant'Alfio, Zafferana Etnea): facing the Ionian Sea, this is the wettest slope and the best for Carricante whites.
- South and south-west (Viagrande, Trecastagni, Biancavilla, Santa Maria di Licodia): warmer and drier, with some of the highest vineyards on the mountain and riper reds.
Labels can name a contrada, a traditional named district of the volcano, similar to a cru in Burgundy. The rules list 133 contrade. Well-known names include Calderara Sottana, Feudo di Mezzo, Guardiola, Santo Spirito, Rampante and Arcurìa. Each sits on lava flows of a different age, which helps explain why wines from one producer can taste different from one contrada to the next.
Serve Etna Rosso slightly cool, at about 15–17°C (59–63°F), in a large glass. Open a young single-contrada wine an hour before drinking. Serve Etna Bianco at 10–12°C (50–54°F); good bottles show more if they are not too cold. Serve Rosato and Spumante well chilled.
Etna Rosso's high acidity and moderate body make it one of the few Italian reds that works with fish. Try it with grilled tuna or swordfish, pasta alla Norma (with eggplant and ricotta salata), mushroom dishes, roast pork, sausages and aged pecorino. Etna Bianco suits raw seafood, oysters, grilled white fish, fried calamari and dishes with lemon. Rosato is good with arancini, caponata and cured meats.
Etna is ET-nah. Nerello Mascalese is neh-REL-loh mahs-kah-LAY-zeh. Carricante is kar-ree-KAHN-tay.
Etna Rosso is the best-known red of Sicily's volcano, but the island's most widely planted red grape is Nero d'Avola, and its only DOCG is Cerasuolo di Vittoria. Read our Sicily wine guide and the Sicily region page for the island's other wines, or browse every Etna wine in our catalog below.