Rare Wines. Two great reds produced at 600 metres above sea level

In common they share altitude and a magnetic charm. First, we fly up to approximately 600 metres above sea level in Molise, in the municipality of San Felice del Molise, to get to know one of the most interesting and consistent wineries in the region: Claudio Cipressi. We were impressed by a selection of Tintilia, the main native grape variety of the region, capable of yielding reds rich in identity and definition. Tintilia 66 from the 2015 vintage is a complete red, pulpy and enveloping, but also finely spiced and layered, we are certainly at the top of the type.

We wanted to pair such a particular red with a rare wine that fans of the largest active volcano in Europe know well, even if only by name: the Vinupetra by I Vigneri. Also in this case we are around 600 metres above sea level on the northern slope of Mt Etna, in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia, contrada Porcaria wine district, the parcel is called VignaCalderara, less than half a hectare in total. The alberello vineyards look towards the central crater of Mt Etna, on one side, and the Ionian Sea on the other, and sink into a soil full of small and medium-sized volcanic stones, hence the origin of the name.

Today we tell you about the 2019 Vinupetra, in the glass there is the magic of a wine with a simply precious evocative intensity. Behind the bottle we find agronomist and oenologist Salvo Foti, the man who revolutionised Etna viticulture, supported by his sons Simone and Andrea.

Rare Wines: a Tinitilia and an Etna Rosso to discover