Tenute Bosco is a woman-led winery on the Northern slope of Mount Etna—10 hectares of organically-grown vineyards at about 700m above sea level.

The 'contrada' (Sicilian for hamlet) 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.

With time, along the margins of the hardened lava, the soil became dark, soft, and extraordinarily fertile. In the 1800s local farmers began to shape the land into the classic terraced structure now so characteristic of Etna and to plant wine on this magically fertile sand.

Tenute Bosco's oldest vines, planted at the end of the 1800s, have survived Phylloxera, and grow alberello style on land recovered on the sandy margins of this lava flow. The youngest wines grow espalier style on these terraced plots framed by traditional dry stone walls.

Winemaking on this ‘contrada’ is exclusively manual. Traditionally, the vines were planted in a scattered fashion, and it takes a wise hand to know which variety is which during harvest.

Northern exposure usually generates some difficulties in wine growing. However, the proximity of Mount Nebrodi and Peloritani, forms a climatic sac, with rainfall and sunshine that allow for optimal grape ripening, particularly for the reds.

The mineral composition of the sandy soil makes it permeable, ideal for oxygen circulation, also in deep layers. This aerated soil allows the roots to explore and the plant to find water, even in the most arid vintages. The altitude offers a harmonious synthesis of aromas and acidity and grants freshness, elegance and sulphurous vitality to the wines.

Variety: 100% nerello mascalese
Denomination: DOC
Alc: 14.5%
Agriculture: Organic, manual harvest
In the Cellar: Fast maceration with the skins, soft pressing followed by a vinification at a controlled temperature (13°-15°C) for at least 10 days. Ages in steel vats for 4 months keeping the finest lees in suspension. It remains for a minimum of 6 months in the bottle.
Region: Northern slope of Mount Etna, Sicily
Bottles made: 10k