One of Italy’s great wine personalities, Marco de Grazia, and his brother Sebastiano, own more than 55 hectares of land on the northern slopes of the highly active volcano Etna. 27 ha have been set aside for wine, and it is possible to expand the wine-growing area to a total of 38 ha. The property has some of Europe’s highest vineyards, located between 600-1000 masl. This means quite dramatic diurnal variations in temperature, which helps to give the wines a great distinctive character and a surprising coolness in expression. Another crucial Terre Nere Moganzzi condition is a number of different and completely unique cultivation sites, planted with exclusively local blue and white grape varieties, which help to individualize the wines and give them a breathtaking volcanic mineral character. The vines stand individually as small trees (albarello), and for the red wines, Nerello Mascalese is grown predominantly, supplemented with a little Nerello Cappuccio.
As is the case with all top producers, there is a great focus on the work in the field, and every effort is made to reduce the use of sulfur and the like. The property produces a wide range of wines, of which approx. half are typically organically certified. The number of certified wines varies from year to year depending on the art of the possible. As the cultivation conditions are so extreme, situations inevitably occur where one has to intervene. Vinification of the red cru wines takes place with Burgundian inspiration, with 10-15 days of maceration and storage of approx. 25% new French barriques for 18 months. According to Marco de Grazia himself, he also produces the Mediterranean response to Burgundy. However, the structure of the wines also recalls the more structured Nebbiolo used for Barolo and Barbaresco.
In addition to a basic Etna Rosso DOC, a number of Cru’s are produced: Calderara Sottana, Feudi di Mezzo, Guardiola, Santo Spirito, Moganazzi and San Lorenzo. In addition, an Etna Rosso Prephylloxera of 100% Nerello Mascalese, made from plants from 1870 from Cru Calderara. That is, on vines that originate from before the ravages of wine lice. The wines have generally been met with great enthusiasm and clearly have a distinct peculiarity. As mentioned, many taste and structural parallels can be drawn to both Burgundy and Barolo – or perhaps most correctly – a combination of these. We are experiencing great interest in the wines from Etna, and we, therefore, do not always have some of the wines in stock. Especially the Cru’s with fairly limited quantities can be sold out quickly.