Vineyard
etna
“Monte Gorna” Vineyards
Trecastagni, at the foot of one of the extinguished craters dotting Mount Etna is home to the ancient vineyards of Monte Gorna, with their distinctive lava terraces completely restructured and replanted with the native varieties used for Etna DOC wines: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the red, and Catarratto and Carricante for the white. The quality of the soil was formed through the disintegration of lavas and eruptive material.
Monte Gorna Vineyards
Trecastagni (Catania) – areas B and D of Mount Etna Parka
Altitude: 700-750 m. a.s.l.
Vineyard exposure: South-East
Microclimate: temperate climate, with an annual average rainfall of ca. 1,000 mm and wide diurnal temperature range.
Soil: the soil is volcanic, very rich in minerals; the composition of the eruptive materials gave life to composite soils, often made up by small sized pumice stones, known as “ripiddu”, found mostly on extinguished volcanic cones such as Mt Gorna. Their elevated drainage capacity and their wealth in potassium play an important role in balancing the grape’s maturation process.
Yield per Hectare: above 60 quintals
Vines per Hectare: 6.000 ca.
Training system: espalier spurred cordon.
vittoria
“Bonincontro” Vineyard
Just a few miles from the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula, is the lively agricultural center of Vittoria, home to Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico. Here nature still conveys all the colors, smells and sensations of a beautifully preserved landscape, where what prevails is the contrast between the green of the vineyards and ancient olive groves, and the ocher of the limestone. In this intensely lit land, the great Nicosia wineyard is cultivated with Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Syrah.
Bonincontro Vineyards
Vittoria (Ragusa)
Altitude:about 200 m. a.s.l.
Vineyard exposure South
Microclimate: dry and sunny summers; winters characterized by short and intense rains.
Soil: medium textured sandy soils.
Yield per Hectare: 70-80 quintals.
Vines per Hectare: 5.000 ca.
Training system: espalier spurred cordon and guyot.
Etna
“Monte San Nicolò” Vineyards
Altitude: tra 550 – 650 m a.s.l.
Vineyard exposure South-East
Microclimate: moderately temperate climate, with an average rainfall of about 1,000 mm and strong temperature differences between day and night.
Soil: soils composed mainly of volcanic sands, very rich in minerals; the composition of the eruptive materials gives rise to compound soils, formed by small pumice, called “ripiddu”. It has a high drainage capacity and is rich in potassium, which plays an important balancing function in the ripening of grapes.
Yield per Hectare: 60 quintals ca.
Vines per Hectare: 6.000 ca.
Training system and grape varieties: alberello (Nerello Mascalese, Carricante) – espalier
spurred cordon (Carricante, Minnella).
Discover the wines from Etna’s vineyards
Zafferana Etnea (CT) – Contrada Cancelliere Spuligni
Altitude: 500 – 550 m a.s.l.
Training system and grape varieties: alberello (Nerello Mascalese) – guyot (Carricante) .
Yield per Hectare: 60 quintals ca.
Vines per Hectare: 6000 ca.
Santa Venerina (CT)
Altitude: 450 – 500 m a.s.l.
Training system and grape varieties: alberello (Carricante) – espalier spurred cordon (Carricante).
Yield per Hectare: 60 quintals ca.
Vines per Hectare: 6000 ca.
Noto
Contrada Baroni Vineyards
About fifty kilometers from Vittoria, closer to the Ionian coast, there is the city of Noto, the wonderful Baroque capital of south-eastern Sicily, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In this area rich in history and beauty, there are the Contrada Baroni vineyards recently acquired by the Nicosia family. Here old “alberello” trained vines of Nero d’Avola grape, which finds one of its highest expressions in this terroir, are grown next to new plants of Moscato, an indigenous variety ideal for the production of excellent aromatic white and sweet wines.
