On July 17, I had the honor of being a featured speaker at the Crested Butte Wine & Food Festival. My seminar was entitled “Mount Etna: Inside Italy’s Most Dynamic Terroir for Wine.” I chose this title because it’s fairly hard to refute. Dynamic means “characterized by constant change,” and when you are growing grapes and making wine on the slopes of the second most active volcano in the world, that’s pretty much the definition of dynamic. But on another level, Etna has seen one of the most robust, fast-paced and ever-evolving renaissances in global wine. The cast of characters continues to change, and the wines are seemingly more and more refined with each vintage, especially on the white wine end of the spectrum.
Early in the seminar, I made a point of comparing Mount Etna’s size to that of a familiar mountain in Colorado — Pikes Peak. Imagine driving from the south slope to the north slope of Pikes Peak. Imagine that mountain rising an additional 4,000 feet, but straight out of the sea. Now imagine that it’s erupting all the time. Welcome to Mount Etna.
As with many of my talks, I encouraged guests to disagree with me. A wine expert is someone who knows their own tastes — that’s it. If a wine didn’t please their palate, who am I to tell them otherwise? With that out of the way, we had a robust conversation on a set of wines that really demonstrated the range of Mount Etna’s grapes, terroir and winemaking styles.
First up was the 2022 “deAetna” Etna Bianco from Terra Costantino, a wine from middle-aged vines (roughly 25 years old) from the southeastern slope in Contrada Blandano that was vinified entirely in stainless steel. As a contrast, we also tasted the 2022 “A Puddara” Etna Bianco from Tenuta di Fessina, which hails from the southwestern slope in Contrada Biancavilla, which was barrel fermented in 35 hL oak barrels with 6 to 8 months on the lees. Enhancing the comparison was the field blend and elevation of the vineyards. “deAetna” has 80% Carricante, 15% Catarratto and 5% Minella and grows between 1,475 and 1,800 feet. Meanwhile, “A Puddara” is 100% Carricante and comes from a vineyard nearly twice as high (2,950 feet).
Guests were surprised at the order I poured these two wines, thinking the first wine was richer than the second (it certainly is). And they were surprised that it was stainless-steel vinified while “A Puddara” was barrel-fermented. Indeed, the lightness and elegance of “A Puddara” did not fit the mold of an “oaky wine.” Coconut-toned Chardonnay this was not! But this actually worked perfectly for my next point: with high-altitude Carricante, the razor sharp acidity needs some breathing room to expand and soften, which proper use of oak can help with. The room was split on preference between these two wines, which was also a good thing: Etna Bianco offers a spectrum, and taste is personal. I encouraged everyone to explore this exciting category, because I am confident that for every white wine drinker, there is an Etna Bianco to suit their taste.
Next, we navigated into Etna Rosso. I told the story of not only Giuseppe Benanti (whose family wine we finished with, see below), but Marco de Grazia, Frank Cornelissen and Andrea Franchetti, whose estate Passopisciaro featured next. The 2022 Passopisciaro “Passorosso” Etna Rosso contrasted the 2020 Tenuta Tascante Contrada Rampante Etna Rosso in as many unexpected ways as the first flight of white wines. Again, one could question the order of these wines, as the entry-level “Passorosso” was more structured, stern and tannic than the slightly aged, exuberantly fruity Contrada Rampante. The difference here, I noted, was the age of the vines. Passopisciaro works almost entirely with old vines — even the “Passorosso” features fruit from vines between 80 and 110 years old. Tascante’s vines are a mere 15 years old, but what I wanted to show was the change that can be felt in the tannins with just a little age, as well as the specificity of a single-vineyard wine.
Lastly, we concluded with a taste of the 2019 and 2020 Benanti Contrada Rinazzo Etna Bianco Superiore. Why end with a white wine? For one, it’s always nice to end on a fresh note. But two, Etna’s most serious white wines — mostly hailing from the eastern slope where the town of Milo is — have the complexity and endurance properly follow red wines. And Contrada Rinazzo is always a dazzling wine, decked in complex citrus fruit, whispers of garden herbs, and a lean, saltiness that persists well into the finish. It comes from the same vineyard plot as Benanti’s iconic “Pietra Marina,” which is a selection of the best fruit from Contrada Rinazzo.
But I also wanted to end with this wine to revisit what occurred on June 2 of this year, when Etna unleashed an unwelcome surprise: a massive pyroclastic flow that hurtled into the Valle de Bove and stopped just short of Milo, Contrada Rinazzo, and the vineyard giving us this beautiful wine. Italy’s most dynamic terroir for wine? Pretty hard to argue with that.
Eruption Video: June 2, 2025
The seminar marked the debut of my new book, Opening a Bottle: Italy, which was sold to those seeking a copy. My wife and business partner, Hailey Day, was in attendance, which was a special treat for both of us, as she designed and laid out the book. Some guests rightly wanted her to sign the book as well!
A special thanks are in order to the companies that helped arrange for these wines and this tasting, namely Banville Wine Merchant, who represents Terra Costantino; Vineyard Brands, who represents Tenuta di Fessina; Giuliana Imports who represents Passopisciaro in Colorado; Passopisciaro, who offered to donate their wines to the event; Dalla Terra Winery Direct, who represents Tenuta Tascante; Wilson Daniels, who represents Benanti; and Antonio Benanti, who offered to donate his wines as well.
At the festival’s Grand Tasting on Saturday, I was stationed at Townie Book’s table, where I sold more copies of my book. My favorite interaction was actually with a couple who didn’t buy the book. “We would, but we hiked over from Aspen for the weekend and it’s too heavy for our backpack.” That’s a 12 mile hike with 3,000 feet in elevation gain over some of Colorado’s most rugged backcountry. Fair enough.
I then concluded my weekend with my feet in the East River and a glass each of Tenuta di Fessina’s “A Puddara” Etna Bianco and Benanti’s Contrada Rinazzo Etna Bianco Superiore. This is going to be my festival tradition from now on. What a great context to taste such superb wine.
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My Guides to Etna
- First Taste Guide to Etna Bianco
- First Taste Guide to Etna Rosso
- Top 10 New Release Etna Bianco Wines (Fall 2024) – paywall
- Top 14 New Release Etna Rosso Wines (Fall 2024) – paywall
- Top Etna Spumante and Rosato Wines (Fall 2024) – paywall
Kevin Day
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