The story of the winery begins in the 1960s, when Nonno Ciccio and Nonna Peppina fall in love with this small vineyard surrounded by chestnut and olive trees.

Today, Salvatore and Maria Domenica take care of the land following the traditions taught by their parents and grandparents. The wines born out of this labour of love are natural, unfiltered, and virtually sulfite-free. Made in a traditional Palmento, they feel true and wise, and tell stories of ancient times.

Visiting Nonno Ciccio's vineyards is always very moving—you can't help but imagine all the stories, true and made up, all the myths and legends that characterise the land. This passion is most evident in Salvatore. His work is a legacy is embued with a sense of responsibility for this land and for those who worked it before him, for the great landscape and the essence of these wines. His intention is to give life to a wine that is genuine and natural, that lets the grape express itself. To us, it speaks of ancestral memories and of the pleasure of things done well.

We walked barefoot through Salvatore's vineyard and it felt like a promenade on a cloud. The soil was rich and dark, soft like butter.

We're on the Northern slope of mount Etna, on Contrada Sciaranuova. At 800 meters above sea level, the air is crisp and the sun is strong—but don't be fooled, summer dusk is chilly and winter nights often bring snow.

The Contrada was shaped in the 1600s by a historical 'colata lavica', an eruption in the form of a slow flow of lava, remembered to this day because of its magnitude and destructive power.

Roughly translated from Sicilian dialect, Sciaranuova means 'new lava flow'.

Among the margins of the hardened lava, the soil was dark, soft, and extraordinarily fertile. In the 1800s local farmers began to shape the land into the classic terraces structure now so charachteristic of Etna.

Variety: 100% Nerello Mascalese
Denomination: Etna Rosso DOP
Alc: 14%
Age of the vines: 20 years
Agriculture: Natural, low intervention, hand-harvested.
In the Cellar: Pressed by foot and macerated in a traditional Palmento. No sulfites added.
Region: Sciaranuova, Northern slope of Mount Etna, Sicily
Bottles made: 4000