• WINERY Barone Di Villagrande
  • GRAPE Carricante
  • YEAR 2007
  • COUNTRY Italy
  • REGION Sicily

Rising steeply from Sicily’s eastern tip, Mount Etna’s lava-coated slopes yield wines with thrilling minerality, like this sleek, vivid white.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Although it’s an active volcano, occasionally belching smoke or spitting lava from its crater, Mount Etna is home to a thriving and ancient wine industry. Its vineyards have been rediscovered in recent years, with investors from abroad joining locals like Barone di Villagrande in making quality-driven wines. Unusually for Etna, the Nicolosi family, owners of Barone di Villagrande, developed a reputation for high-end wines early (back in the 1700s, in fact). This bracing white is made from Carricante, a local grape that’s perfectly adapted to Etna’s steep slopes.

SMELL IT

Citrusy aromas of lime and tarragon.
TASTE IT

Bone dry and mouthwateringly crisp, with minerally papaya and spearmint flavors.
SERVE IT

Well chilled.
PAIR IT

Rich enough to handle white meats, but terrific with seafood, too, especially with spicy or herbbased seasonings.

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