VINEYARD | Vinupetra is the fruit of a very small parcel on the north side of Mt Etna, within the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia at an altitude of 580 metres. The contrada wine district is called Porcaria, the parcel in question, 0.38 hectares, is VignaCalderara. We are among centuries-old alberello vineyards, only a small part was replanted in 2005, which insist on land woven by lava and lapilli, with a very high concentration of volcanic origin rocks: this is the origin of the name. The grapes are pressed with about 30% of the stems, then they ripen in barriques and tonneaux for about a year. First vintage produced was 2001, the wine was not made between 2009 and 2013.
PERSON | A consortium at the service of the soul of the territory. I Vigneri is the result of forty years of work by Salvo Foti, the true pioneer of Etna viticulture, the first to truly understand its peculiar traits, promoting them with fierce determination. Today, assisted by sons Simone and Andrea, he has founded not only a winery, but a veritable masterwork of small Etna winemakers linked by a clear production philosophy: "human wine produced by man for man in respect of man and the environment." Non-invasive methods, native grapes, vinification in an ancient millstone and enhancement of the individual parcels of Mt Etna. All collaborators are originally from Etna, many voices for a unique project.
WINE | It opens with very ripe and spicy aromas, but after a few seconds in the glass it reassembles with elegance and rigour. Tones of root and peat introduce a smoky trace that is nothing short of complex and layered; then nuances of juniper and orange peel emerge. The mouth confirms an out of the ordinary complexity, with counterpoints of pepper, graphite and licorice, and tones of currant and carob. It has energy and reach, in particular rhythm, with a more than enveloping progression. It changes and evolves in the glass within a few seconds, the tannin is perfectly integrated into the structure of a majestic and unpredictable wine. It preserves a very fine vegetal profile that is never the same. A version to remember.
