Wines on the edge: how Etna is redefining Italian elegance

In a nation with a longstanding reputation for warmth, generosity and, at times, opulence in its wines, Etna emerges as a distinctive entity, offering a wine style that is more incisive, cooler and more structured. But is DOC Etna in Sicily genuinely leading the way in the shift towards elegance in Italian fine wines? Or is it merely the most appealing manifestation of a more extensive transformation that is already in progress?

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Spread around the flanks of the world's most active stratovolcano, Etna's vineyard area spans about 1,300ha, spread across 142 contrade - a fragmented landscape characterised by lava flows, elevations and exposures that exhibit a dynamic evolution, mirroring the restless activity of the volcano itself. To walk among these vineyards evokes a profound sense of the presence of the volcano: colossal, silent, vibrant. The tension present within the landscape appears to imbue the wines themselves with animating spirit. It's a collage of micro-terroirs interpreted by a generation of winemakers who understand that restraint is a refined value. White Carricante and red Nerello Mascalese thrive here, yielding wines of linear structure, vivid acidity and aromatic precision.