In the final tasting report from this year’s edition of Etna Days, Kevin Day takes a look at the Etna Spumante and Etna Rosato categories, and spotlights three from each category that say something distinctive about the volcano’s terroir and the region’s winemakers.
You can read up on Etna Bianco and Etna Rosso separately. As always, AI was not used in the creation of any content below.
Etna Spumante (Metodo Classico)
So many regions in Italy make perfectly fine, serviceable sparkling wine via the traditional method. Creating a sparkling wine that adds something new to the marketplace — a wine that feels like it is from somewhere unique — has long been where many have tripped up.
One would think that Etna would be poised to overcome this given the unique volcanic acidity found in both Nerello Mascalese and Carricante when they grow on these slopes (although, it should be noted that the Etna DOC regulations only allow the former. More on that in a second). However, it is not so simple.
A beautiful traditional-method sparkling wine always feels effortless, despite being the most effort-intensive wine you can produce. And while this region has tapped into significant capital over the years and its infrastructure has been improving, it has largely gone to red wine and — now — white wine production. Only a few wineries make a spumante, and even fewer see it as a priority, and I think that shows. Most Etna DOC spumante wines are perfectly fine, but finding that extra little something else still remains elusive … except with these three wines:
Top Spumante Wine
2020 Benanti “Lamorèmio” Etna Metodo Classico Rosato Brut
When it comes to sparkling wines, Benanti has the most sterling reputation of Etna’s producers, and it shows brilliantly in their lineup. In fact, no one from south of Tuscany comes close to them for sparkling wine production, and I think they are even peers with many of the best up north. The balance of their spumanti, the integrity found in the bubbles, and the extreme length on the finish of these wines, all parallel the mastery we often only find in places like Champagne.
So from the beginning, their wines start off on the right foot. I am choosing to profile the 2020 “Lamorèmio” Etna Spumante Rosato Brut (★★★★ 3/4) because of how it revealed just the slightest bit of Etna’s character in the form of its acidity and minerality. The very process of traditional-method sparkling wine tends to cover-up such terroir details, but they’ve managed nicely to leave a little shred of Nerello Mascalese’s spirit in there. It is bright and lean yet somehow also caressing and supple, suggestive of bright strawberries and nutmeg-like spice, with a tinge of soft citric acidity and creaminess to lend balance. “Lamorèmio” sees 24 months on the lees.
Honorable Mention
2021 Benanti Noblesse Terre Siciliane Carricante Brut
Benanti’s 2021 Noblesse (★★★★ 3/4) sits outside the Etna DOC regulations because it uses 100% Carricante for the base wine, whereas Etna Spumante requires Nerello Mascalese. That shouldn’t matter to you as a consumer, because the wine’s character is 100% pure Etna volcanics. It is beautifully aromatic with ripe tones of golden pear and a touch of honeycomb and nutmeg-like spice pulling you in, likely on account of its four years on the lees.
But it is the electrifying acidity and unmistakable minerality that anchors this wine with a sense of place. Crisp, centered and harmonious, it once again demonstrates that Benanti makes the best bubbly in southern Italy.
2019 Cottanera Etna Metodo Classico Rosato
The wines at Cottanera really surprised me, particularly the 2020 Contrada Calderara Etna Bianco, which I featured in my first report. After a long day of winery visits and tasting, I expected my palate to maybe show some fatigue when my group of journalists showed up for dinner. However, Francesco Cambria woke up the senses with the 2019 Etna Metodo Classico Rosato (★★★★ 3/4), a wine with exquisite freshness and spirited citrus to match its excellent, technically sharp texture. However, there was also a sense of stoniness that I feel is mandatory to anchor Etna Spumante with its terroir, and it showed with every sip.
The wine is relatively new to the Cottanera range (2018 was the first vintage), and like Benanti’s “Noblesse,” it spends four years on the lees. Cambria noted that the wine is not yet available in the United States, but he plans to send it here through his importer, Indigenous Selections, in 2025.
Etna Rosato
Like the Etna DOC Spumante category, the rosé wines of the appellation have a technical challenge that the white and red wines simply don’t have. And it’s universal: rosé, by its very nature, doesn’t have a lot of time to extract something special from the grape skins. An abundance of stainless steel fermentation also tends to make reduction management a priority, and so we are often plagued with sameness from one place to the next.
It would be a mistake for me to apply the same standards from other categories to this category — such as complexity, potential for aging, etc. — but seeking at least a few points of difference to make a rosé memorable is mandatory. Otherwise, what’s the point of evaluating and disseminating these wines for a guide?
Some producers on Etna are simply not inclined to add rosé to their product mix, which I understand. When you have such a great opportunity in Etna Bianco, the need to have something refreshing in your portfolio — and something to tap into seasonal drinking patterns so you have year-round sales — then the rosato category doesn’t make as strong a business case as it does in place like Tuscany, where red wines dominate. Still, the potential is there: Etna is riddled with intelligent, conscientious winemakers and great ingredients. While I tasted more than two dozen rosé wines, only three met the (★★★★ 3/4) threshold for this piece.
Top Rosato Wine
2023 Terra Costantino deAetna Etna Rosato
Terra Costantino has a major point-of-difference when it comes to Etna Rosato: they’ve been making it from the very beginning. If you are going to do it and you want a quality rosé, you have to commit, and that shows in their bright and flavorful 2023 “deAetna” Etna Rosato (★★★★ 3/4) which simply bursts with flavor and precise minerality on the palate. For me, the tones veered nicely toward strawberries, orange peel and baking spice, with the kind of friendly and amiable disposition on the palate that never loses the narrative on what rosé is all about.
As a side note: Etna is loaded with great producers, and many seem to take up a disproportionate amount of the headlines. Terra Costantino does not seem to be one of them, and that’s a shame. I think their wines are well crafted, rich with typicity and a sense of place, and most importantly, versatile to the table. They’ve been featured a few times on Opening a Bottle, and I plan to profile my visit with them in the future because Fabio Costantino’s estate is so perfectly suited for visitors.
2022 Filippo Grasso “Ripiddo” Etna Rosato
Over the second and third days of the event, journalists are granted an opportunity to see wineries of varying sizes and capabilities. We are sorted into small groups of five, and then transported by van to individual wineries, roughly three per day. Of these six visits, one is always centered on small, independent wineries who collaborate together. It is a glimpse into the community present on the volcano — the beating heart under the surface, so to speak — and I find it to be as educational as any aspect of the event. I hope they keep this feature for future Etna Days.
This year, that occasion was held for my group at Irene Badalà’s winery, where Tenuta Boccarossa, Primaterra and Filippo Grasso also poured wines over a casual, outdoor lunch. Mariarita Grasso offered her 2022 “Ripiddo” Etna Rosato (★★★★ 3/4), which was so delicious and appropriate to the cuisine, I asked for a second pour. (Wondering what we ate? Sun-dried tomatoes, green beans, almonds, pistachios, bread and the freshest ricotta humanity has ever seen). Alongside Filippo, they produce five wines, all certified organic from Calderara Sottana and Contrada Calderara.
What was so appealing about this rosato was its inherent earthiness, a unique attribute in a rosé that must have alluded to some latent character in the skins of the Nerello Mascalese. Because of it, the spectrum of flavors reminded me a bit of Piedmont, but the radiance and juiciness was 100% Sicilian. And the finish? 1000% Etna, with its tinges of salty persistence.
2019 Feudo Cavaliere “Millemetri” Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosato
An estate that I visited last year — and who unfortunately is still not imported into the U.S. at this time — Feudo Cavaliere is noteworthy for its abundance of centenarian vines that go toward the “Millemetri” Etna Rosso. I am only including them here because I have several importers as subscribers, and hopefully they’ll pay Margherita Platania a visit at her south-slope winery. (Hint, hint).
This aged rosato, believe it or not, is in its current release with the 2019 vintage (★★★★ 3/4). I did not get a chance to ask Platania about this death-on-the-marketplace strategy, but it demonstrated that certain rosé wines — particularly with Etna’s electric acidity — actually benefit with a few years in bottle. Fresh aromas are suggestive of blood oranges and crème brûlée, lending a surprisingly sweet nose given how dry the wine actually is. The citric acidity has a brilliant vivacity which plays nicely with the wine’s minty elements. There is quite a bit of room to negotiate this wine’s breadth, which I appreciate since so many rosé wines these days are myopic in their vision.
About the Ratings
★★★★★ – The Top Tier
★★★★ 3/4 – A Thrilling Wine
★★★★ 1/2 – Solid and Recommended
★★★★ 1/4 – Average
★★★★ – Indistinctive
< ★★★★ – No Point in Writing About It
Learn more about the philosophy behind these ratings.
CAPTIONS: All photos ©Kevin Day/Opening a Bottle. May not be reused in any way without compensation. Featured image: Benanti’s estate vineyards and the Monte Serra contrada. Top to bottom: Etna Rosato wines at the technical tasting; old-vine vineyards at Feudo Cavaliere; Terra Costantino’s winemaker Fabio Costantino; vineyards in the evening at Terra Costantino; rosé offerings at the Etna Days technical tasting.
Note: My travel and accommodations were paid for by the Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini Etna, although I extended my stay for three days and funded a rental car as well as certain meals and accommodations. Learn more about my editorial and travel policies.
