A Sicilian Field Blend

Vino di Anna is a Sicilian family wine estate on the north face of Mt. Etna, which accounts for the effect of volcanic soil in the grapes. The wine was made with 90% Nerello Mascalese grapes, 5% Nerello Cappuccio, 2% Grenache and a splash of other indigenous white varieties, Grecanico, Minnella Bianca and Uva Francese Bianca. The winery says the grapes were grown organically in the various high-altitude sites designated for this wine. They were picked and fermented as field blends, which is traditional in the area. 

I'll let them describe the winemaking process: "Harvest in 2024 was very early, starting mid-September. 40% of the bunches were thrown in the bottom of the Palmento lava-stone vats and then 60% of the grapes were de-stemmed by hand on top. Fermentation started spontaneously, and the grapes were macerated for four to five days, being foot trodden or plunged daily. The fermenting must was then pressed and continued fermenting in qvevri {egg-shaped earthenware vessels}, large oak casks (20hl), chestnut barrels (11hl), and a stainless steel tank to dryness. All components underwent malolactic fermentation spontaneously. Blending took place in February 2025, and the resultant final wine was left on fine lees until bottling early April without fining or filtering." 

The 2024 Vino di Anna Palmento Vino Rosso has a rather low alcohol content, 13% abv, and the wine sells for around $34. The label has an artist's depiction of grapes being foot stomped.

This wine is medium-dark ruby in the glass. I found the nose to be subdued, but notes of ripe cherries and redcurrant berries came through. I'd like to say that I noticed the effect of the chestnut barrels used, but they were half as large as the oak casks. My olfactory sense isn't all that sharp, anyway. The palate is medium weight and a bit tart, showing raspberry and currant flavors. The tannins are medium firm and the acidity is bright. The medium finish carries tart fruit after the sip. 

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Etna Rosso For Eggplant

Italian food belongs with Italian wine, but be careful with the grape you choose.  I generally order a Sangiovese wine with any Italian dish, whether tomato or meat-based.  However, I discovered another grape the other day that simply didn't hit it off with spaghetti, but paired nicely with eggplant.

The Benanti Etna Rosso is made with two grapes named Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, 85% the former and 15% the latter.  They are both believed to be related to Sangiovese.  Eighty-percent of the wine was aged in steel tanks, the rest in French oak barriques for ten months.  Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and retail looks to be around $20.  

James Lawrence writes that the property has been in Giuseppe Benanti's family for centuries.  He revitalized it in the 1980s and handed it down to his sons, Antonio and Salvino.  The vines grow in Viagrande, Sicily - on the slopes of Mt. Etna - an active volcano that has wiped out the towns below it seven times already.  Giuseppe shrugs off the threat and says there's no point in worrying about it. 

This wine smells and tastes like Burgundy with a volcano in it.  The nose carries earthy-yet-floral notes on a mineral base.  The palate is not exactly like Pinot Noir, but not exactly like Sangiovese, either. It paired much better with the involtini than it did with the tomato sauce spaghetti.  I guess those Sicilian grapes like eggplant better.  It showed a bit of brown around the edge, not something you see often in a young wine.


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