{"title":"Nerello Mascalese","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"passopisciaro-etna-rosso-passorosso-2023","title":"Passopisciaro Etna Rosso Passorosso 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNerello Mascalese from different altitudes and soil types across Mt. Etna. Bright red fruits, herbaceous notes and noticeable minerality from the famous volcanic soils. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Giuliana","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48458482942175,"sku":null,"price":46.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P2180927.jpg?v=1771466642"},{"product_id":"nicolo-grippaldi-le-domeniche-di-teo-2020","title":"Nicolò Grippaldi Le Domeniche di Teo 2020","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eMost people think of Sicily in terms of Etna, the coastline, or the bulk wine production that dominated the island's export market for decades. The province of Enna, in the mountainous interior, is different in nearly every respect. At 651 meters above sea level in the small village of Gagliano Castelferrato, the terrain is cooler, the seasons more pronounced, and the soils (blue clays, chalk laden with fossils, sandy patches, fragments of quartz) have no relationship to the volcanic south or the coastal plains. Nicolò Grippaldi is the only wine producer in the entire province. He farms 3.33 hectares biodynamically, on land that belonged to his great-grandfather and sat abandoned for decades before he returned to revive it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e76% Nerello Mascalese and 24% Nero d'Avola, sourced entirely from ancient vine clones, some approaching 200 years old. Fermented spontaneously in concrete tanks, no added yeast, no wood contact, no filtration. The wines are clarified only by natural cold settling and racked according to the lunar calendar, then aged four to five years in bottle before release. The 2020 vintage in Sicily was widely praised for freshness and structure: a mild growing season without the heat spikes of neighboring years produced wines with genuine acidity and phenolic balance. The result here is dried cherry, thyme, rosemary, and rose petal aromas, with a taut, savory finish that reflects the high elevation far more than any warm-climate stereotype.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eNicolò Grippaldi was studying literature and philosophy in Florence when he first encountered biodynamic farming. It changed his trajectory completely. He returned to Sicily, found the abandoned land his great-grandfather had once farmed, and discovered the last surviving vines: ancient clones of Nero d'Avola and Nerello Mascalese with root systems approaching two centuries old. From those surviving plants, he grafted and replanted roughly 13,000 vines to bring the site back to life. He has farmed biodynamically from day one, and every step of the process, from pruning through harvest and racking, is done entirely by hand. The wine is named Le Domeniche di Teo, \"Sundays with Teo,\" for his vineyard dog, whose presence in the vineyard is, by all accounts, constant and essential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe wine's high-elevation freshness and savory, herb-threaded character make it seriously food-oriented. Slow-braised lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, eggplant caponata over pasta, a spiced lamb flatbread with yogurt and fresh herbs, or wild boar ragu on handmade pappardelle all work. The tannins are real but fine; the acidity drives the wine forward. This is food wine in the fullest sense of the phrase.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Down Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50079660409055,"sku":null,"price":74.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6060309.jpg?v=1780892198"},{"product_id":"tenuta-delle-terre-nere-moganazzi-etna-rosso-2022","title":"Tenuta delle Terre Nere Moganazzi Etna Rosso 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEtna is not a hot-climate wine region, whatever its Sicilian address suggests. Contrada Moganazzi sits at 700 to 750 meters on the volcano's north face, in the commune of Castiglione di Sicilia, where nights run cold, harvests stretch into October and Nerello Mascalese ripens slowly. The soil is young and not deep: a topsoil of volcanic ash over layers of pebbles and stone, laid down by lava flows that differ from one contrada to the next. That fast-draining, low-fertility ground keeps vigor down and gives the wine its dusty, mineral edge. The north slope is divided into contrade much like Burgundy's crus, and Moganazzi is one of the sites that shows how precisely Etna red wine can reflect a single piece of the mountain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Terre Nere Moganazzi Etna Rosso 2022 is 100% Nerello Mascalese from a single contrada. Fermentation runs at a controlled 28 to 30°C, malolactic follows spontaneously, and the wine then spends 16 to 18 months in French barriques and tonneaux plus one month in steel before bottling. The oak shapes texture more than flavor, rounding the grip of Nerello's tannin without covering the fruit. The 2022 season on the north side turned dry from June, with August rain bringing relief and hail touching some sites at harvest, and the wines came in with texture and ripe fruit. Violet, blood orange, dusty black cherry, clove and cinnamon stick, then crushed stone and dried red and blue fruit, brisk acidity and fine, chalky tannins that carry a long, fresh finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarc de Grazia made his name in the 1980s championing the new wave of Barolo producers before turning his attention to Etna. He released the first Tenuta delle Terre Nere wines in 2002, the same year he called Etna \"the Burgundy of the Mediterranean,\" and 2004 was the first vintage made entirely in the estate's own cellar. The Burgundian idea runs through everything: Burgundy-shaped bottles, and Nerello Mascalese vinified and bottled contrada by contrada, with around 70 separate micro-vinifications of Nerello each year. The vineyards are farmed organically, with only copper-based Bordeaux mixture in the vines and manure as fertilizer. The labels are drawn by de Grazia's daughter, a small family detail on one of the wineries that put Etna on the modern wine map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNerello has the acidity and fine tannin to handle food that would flatten a heavier red. Try pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato and a heavy grating of ricotta salata, the acidity lifting the sweet, oily eggplant. Grill fennel pork sausages over charcoal and serve them with broccoli rabe and chili, letting the spice meet the clove and cinnamon in the glass. Roast duck breast finished with a blood orange pan sauce mirrors the wine's citrus side. Or go simple with swordfish steaks grilled with capers, olives and oregano, where the brine and herbs sharpen the wine's mineral edge. This is the bottle for the night you want a serious red that still leaves room for the next glass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Giuliana","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51408057893087,"sku":null,"price":64.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9170324.jpg?v=1789709889"},{"product_id":"nicolo-grippaldi-spinasanta-2020","title":"Nicolò Grippaldi Spinasanta 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNerello Mascalese is Etna's grape, but Spinasanta does not come from the volcano. It grows in Gagliano Castelferrato, in the province of Enna, the only Sicilian province with no coastline and a part of the island almost nobody associates with wine. Nicolò Grippaldi's vines sit at 650 to 700 meters, on land where his great-grandfather kept a small vineyard a century ago. The soils are a patchwork of clays and limestone, including blue and brecciated clays, a very different base from Etna's volcanic sand. Up here, far from the moderating sea, the summers are hot and the nights cool down hard, and that altitude and diurnal swing keep acidity intact in a grape that can otherwise turn soft in the Sicilian sun. The vineyard is dry-farmed, with no irrigation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nicolò Grippaldi Spinasanta 2020 is 100% Nerello Mascalese from vines Nicolò planted in 2015. Fermentation starts spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in 25-hectoliter concrete vats, after a two-day pre-fermentation soak, and the wine then stays on its skins for roughly two months after fermentation finishes. Punch-downs and pump-overs are done by hand. There is no oak: the wine ages at least 12 months in the same concrete, which keeps the fruit and the site in front. Sulfur is kept to a minimum. That long maceration gives Spinasanta more grip than most Nerello from the coast: morello cherry, ripe strawberry, pine and ash, then a full body with powdery, firm tannin and a smoky, spiced finish. The 2020 season in Sicily ran mild through spring and early summer with average rainfall, conditions that allowed full phenolic ripening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNicolò Grippaldi studied literature and philosophy at the University of Florence, and it was in Tuscany, through the family behind Castello dei Rampolla in Panzano, that he found wine and biodynamic farming. He came home to Gagliano Castelferrato and replanted his great-grandfather's abandoned land on April 3, 2015, with about 11,000 vines split between Nerello Mascalese and Nero d'Avola. The first harvest came in 2017. Nicolò farms biodynamically, following the lunar calendar, using only mined sulfur and small amounts of copper, and he does nearly all the vineyard and cellar work himself outside of harvest. His stated goal is bigger than one estate: to put Enna on the map as a serious place for wine. This is natural wine from Sicily's interior, made by someone building a region from zero.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpinasanta has the tannin and depth for hearty food. Braise pork shoulder with wild fennel, tomato and red wine until it falls apart, and serve it over polenta. Pasta alla Norma, with fried eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata, matches the wine's smoky side and its acidity cuts the oil. Grilled Italian sausages with charred peppers and onions give the firm tannin fat to work on. Finish with aged pecorino and a drizzle of honey. This is the red for a cold night when dinner is slow-cooked and nobody is in a hurry to leave the table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Down Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51422090952927,"sku":null,"price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9180357.jpg?v=1789770360"},{"product_id":"benanti-contrada-monte-serra-etna-rosso-2022","title":"Benanti Contrada \"Monte Serra\" Etna Rosso 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost of the Etna Rosso that crosses our counter grows on the volcano's north side, around Passopisciaro and Solicchiata. Monte Serra is the other Etna. The contrada sits in Viagrande on the southeastern flank, 450 meters above sea level, facing southeast toward the Ionian Sea and the city of Catania. That is lower and warmer than the northern crus. The soil is volcanic sand, mineral-rich and mildly acidic at pH 6.4, studded with old pumice stones the locals call ripiddu. Vines are trained as alberello at roughly 9,000 plants per hectare, and Benanti documents a range from 14-year-old plantings to vines past 100. Nerello Mascalese from Etna's south slope shows riper red fruit and softer edges than its northern cousin, which is the whole reason to taste this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Benanti Contrada Monte Serra Etna Rosso 2022 is 100 percent Nerello Mascalese, hand-picked, fully destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel with a 21-day maceration. Fermentation runs on a yeast strain Benanti selected from its own Etna vineyards. The wine then spends 12 months in used French oak tonneaux, rests in steel, and sees about 10 months in bottle before release; alcohol is 14 percent. Destemming and used wood keep the tannin fine. Expect pale ruby with garnet at the rim, then a nose of red cherry, wild strawberry, dried rose and baking spice. The body is medium to full, the tannins firm but polished, and the finish runs long on red fruit and a smoky, stony edge. Benanti describes 2022 as one of the warmest years on record, but regular winter rain filled the soils and a clean flowering set full, well-formed bunches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Benanti family has made wine since the late 1800s, but the modern winery dates to 1988, when Giuseppe Benanti, then running the family pharmaceutical company, decided Etna deserved serious study. He hired a young enologist named Salvo Foti, brought in academics from Piedmont and Burgundy, and mapped which contrade gave which wines, years before Etna became fashionable. Giuseppe handed the estate to his twin sons, Antonio and Salvino, in 2012. They work only with native grapes, Carricante, Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, across vineyards on four of the volcano's slopes, and they farm organically. The Contrade line exists to show those slopes side by side, and Monte Serra is the family's home ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePour it slightly cool, around 60 to 64 degrees. Pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata is the Catania classic, and the wine's acidity cuts the oil while its red fruit meets the tomato. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary and garlic work because the tannin grips the fat without overpowering the meat. Try sausage and broccoli rabe pizza from a wood oven, where smoke meets smoke. For something vegetarian, roast porcini over polenta with Parmigiano, an earthy match for the wine's stony finish. This is the bottle for a Tuesday dinner that deserves a little more attention than usual.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"RBG","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67910094094559,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA030453.jpg?v=1791073999"},{"product_id":"girolamo-russo-etna-rosso-a-rina-2024","title":"Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso a' Rina 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSicily spent 2024 in a drought that cut the island's grape harvest by about 20 percent, yet Etna moved the other way. The Etna DOC consortium forecast a 60 percent jump in wine production over 2023, which downy mildew had battered. The difference is altitude. Girolamo Russo farms the volcano's north slope around Passopisciaro, with vineyards between 650 and 780 meters, set among hazelnut and olive groves. The soils are sciara, lava flows that cooled and broke down over centuries into black volcanic sand. The wine's name says as much: 'a Rina is Sicilian for sand. Height brings cool nights and a long, slow ripening season, which is why Nerello Mascalese from the north side keeps its acidity and perfume in years that cook the rest of Sicily.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Girolamo Russo 'a Rina Etna Rosso 2024 is the estate's blend across its north-slope contrade, built from younger vines, mostly Nerello Mascalese with a little Nerello Cappuccio. The hand-picked fruit is fermented with skin contact, then rests for about a year in large wood and cement before bottling. Large neutral casks shape the tannin without adding oak flavor. Alcohol is 14.5 percent. Etna growers describe 2024 as hot and dry, with late-summer showers that helped the higher sites finish ripening. Expect pale ruby, then wild strawberry, sour cherry, dried rose and crushed stone. Medium body, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity lead to a savory, smoky finish. This is Nerello Mascalese from Etna at its most direct.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiuseppe Russo did not set out to make wine. He trained as a concert pianist and studied literature before returning to Passopisciaro, where his father Girolamo had farmed the family's Etna vineyards for decades, selling the grapes in bulk to local producers. When Girolamo died in 2005, Giuseppe refounded the estate under his father's name and began bottling the wine himself. He now works vineyards in several north-slope contrade, including San Lorenzo, Feudo, Feudo di Mezzo and Calderara Sottana, much of it old bush-trained Nerello Mascalese, and he vinifies each contrada separately. The single-contrada bottlings sit at the top of the range. 'a Rina is the wine that brings those sites together, and the clearest way into a producer who helped define the modern north side.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eServe it a little cool, around 60 degrees. Pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata is the obvious Sicilian match: the acidity cuts the oil and the red fruit meets the tomato. Grilled swordfish steaks with salmoriglio, the lemon, oregano and olive oil sauce, work because the wine's fine tannin does not fight the fish. Try pork sausages with roasted fennel and onions, where the smoky finish picks up the char. For a vegetarian option, sauté mushrooms with garlic and thyme and spoon them over soft polenta. This is the red to open on a weeknight when you want Etna without waiting for it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67950244266207,"sku":null,"price":52.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA170560.jpg?v=1792285080"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/collections\/image_3a52aaa9-b998-4171-9fe2-9ad5a04628bb.jpg?v=1632676081","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/collections\/nerello-mascalese.oembed","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}