James Ratcliffe, Co-Owner of The Black Bull, on the Wines of Etna, Sicily
Sicily is an island with a long, fascinating history. Inhabited and ruled by many ethnic groups. Too many to list them all here, but they include the Greeks, Phoenicians, Arabs, Byzantines and Normans, as well as periods of independence. Historically, it’s one of the oldest wine-producing regions of Italy, dating back to 4000 BC. Advances in viticulture are thought to have come with the Ancient Greeks, and the island’s climate has made it the perfect place for wine production.
Marsala is what made Sicily famous around the world; it is a fortified wine produced using mass-production techniques and exported since the 18th Century. Encouraged by English trader John Woodhouse, it proved popular in England, while other Englishmen such as Benjamin Ingham saw an opportunity and exported it to other countries around the world. Thomas Jefferson himself was recorded to have bought 100 gallons of the stuff.
These mass production methods extended to other grapes and wines from Sicily. In the early 1900s, the island lost its labour force through mass emigration to the United States and Argentina. Alongside this, prohibition in America and the advent of WW2 and its consequences meant the industry took an even bigger hit. As a result, the island moved to mass production, and it dominated the 60s, 70s and 80s, with large cooperatives taking most of the grapes grown on the island to produce cheap, rustic wine for Italy and the rest of Europe.
However, all was not lost. As someone once told me, the cream always rises to the top and quality over quantity started to become the order of the day. Family-run estates, like Tasca d’Almerita and Planeta, adopted foreign grapes like Cab Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc to gain international acclaim. A rush of foreign (Northern Italy) money began to flood in to create new wineries. Many of these houses are still going strong today, with world renown.
It was Etna, though, that ‘reinvented’ Sicilian wine again in the late 90s early 2000’s. The area never forgot Sicily’s long history of winemaking, and most importantly, its indigenous grapes. Italy has the largest variety of wine grapes in the world, almost double that of France, and Sicily, and even Etna, had plenty of their own varieties.
Nerello Mascalese is the dominant red grape, similar in look to Pinot Noir but with much thicker skins that produce more tannic wines. The flavour of the wines is distinctive: almond, cherry, tobacco, menthol, red fruits and sometimes a balsamic twang to them. They have a refreshing level of acidity, combined with the tannins let them age well. Nerello Cappuccio often buddies up with Mascalese, providing colour and tannins and a balance to Mascalese’s acidity but with additional notes of vanilla and ripe cherries too.
Carricante is the white equivalent in Etna; once believed to be a main grape of all Sicily, it has recently been marginalised more to Etna. It’s often described as one of Italy’s ‘greatest native white cultivars’ as the wines it produces can be amazingly complex with great longevity. A title shared with Italy’s other great whites like Fiano, Trebbiano Abruzzese and Verdicchio. It thrives at a much higher altitude, where the two reds cannot. The wines have notes of citrus, crunchy apple, ripe peach and orange blossom, with dry, saline and flinty notes on the palate, with further peach and sometimes petrol-like flavours. Catarrato is grown and blended alongside Carricante, helping make Etna Bianco and Etna Bianco Superiore, though the grape is common throughout Sicily.
Etna, itself, is referred to locally simply as a muntagna – “the mountain” – an affectionate term that also signals hierarchy. It’s a place where viticulture coexists with an active volcano. It’s a land formed by lava flows and one that continues to be shaped by them to this day. Nothing is permanent around Etna. This is probably why the natural wine movement has been so strong here. The attitude is to take nature at face value and simply see what happens, a lack of need for conformity and overproduction. Simply a love for what we are given, rather than being shaped and constructed.
You can’t get away from talking about Frank Cornelissen when it comes to the natural wine movement in Etna. He arrived from Belgium, back in the early 2000s, when vineyards here were being abandoned or grapes destined for blending in commercial wines. He had no training, rejected conventional viticulture and has even argued that biodynamic viticulture is too interventionist. Frank’s ‘Magma’ is his most famous, most iconic and therefore his most expensive wine, which only the enthusiasts, and rich ones at that, might be able to justify. His others are more accessible.
Frank paved the way for many other producers, though; their wines are maybe more accessible, and we’ve had a few on the menu for many years at the Black Bull.
Masseria del Pino’s ‘I Nove Fratelli’ Etna Rosso was the first Etna wine we put on the Black Bull’s menu. A blend of Nerello Mascalese with a little Nerello Cappuccio, richly flavoured with black cherry, chocolate, balsamic spices and with plenty of tannins. What struck me about it was its similarities to a young Barolo, but what an exciting alternative it made, with the volcanic terroir and acidity apparent. A wine that needs to be drunk with food. Federica and Cesare gave up conventional life for a simple one, working 1.7ha of 120-140yo vines. They are located 800m on the slopes of Etna, also farming 400 ancient olive trees, chestnut and oak trees, vegetables and many fruit trees throughout the vineyard like cherry, pear, plum and peach. A true picture of Etna life which is reflected in their wines. They also produce an Etna Rosato made with the same blend, a Vino Bianco and Nocino, an amaro made with walnuts that jostles amongst our extensive amaro list at the Black Bull.
Fabio Signorelli is another exciting producer that’s featured on our menu. Trained in Tuscany and Umbria, Fabio was captivated by the raw, untamed beauty but also the challenges that come with Etna as a region. Again, his farm is surrounded by fruit trees and olive groves, showing the polyculture this area brings, with farmers and producers working closely together. Fabio farms biodynamically, working with nature and, in Etna’s case it’s ever-changing microclimate. His wines are vibrant, yet elegant and certainly capture the wild, volcanic nature of Etna. His orange wine, Sustanza, is certainly one to look out for, but it’s his pure Nerello Mascalese and blends that he’s famous for.
If you want to try something a little tamer and more conventional than the Etna range, Tasca d’Almerita is a great place to start, and some would argue some of their most exciting wines. Named Tenuta Tascante (a play on Tasca & Etna), it’s an award-winning series of wines using mainly Carricante for the whites, and Nerello Mascalese for the reds. Tasca might not have the same small producer story, but their wines are good, slightly more refined but tamer too. I was lucky enough to visit their vineyards several years ago, and they have a fascinating, beautiful and historical set-up. They are also a certified B-Corp and a member of Sostain, an association of winemakers dedicated to the sustainable development of Sicily.
You might not find the cheapest Italian wine in Etna, but you might find some fascinatingly unique wines. The ever-changing landscape and the threat of an active volcano bring both excitement to wine production on its slopes, as well as challenges and restrictions. Its mutable microclimate needs producers that can adapt alongside it but also let their wines sing for themselves. This does mean that production can be limited, but that makes the wines even more special. All the wines mentioned are available online, through Roland Wines, Vine Trail or many other suppliers. There are also many more producers out there I would recommend you try.