‘In 2005, we were a handful of producers on Etna. We took a risk in investing in a region that was completely unknown at the time. Everything was a challenge – from understanding how to work the vineyards on the volcano to finding workers – but we had so much passion that the work didn’t feel burdensome.
‘Pietradolce’s first vintage was 2007 and we made 3,600 bottles of our wine Archineri. It was very hard selling the wines. Nobody knew Etna and at the time the international palates preferred structured wines with a lot of colour and fruit – the opposite of the elegant wines being made from our black volcanic soil and high altitudes. Luckily that has changed since then.
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Wine wisdom
Our regular learning section helps you get more from your glass
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It's a vintage to bring cheer to Tuscany lovers' hearts, and the first of what is being billed as a strong run of three to come. The successful 2019 Brunello wines offer richness, balance and immediate appeal while also managing to avoid excess