# Benanti Etna Rosso DOC (2024)

- **Producer:** Benanti Viticoltori
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio
- **Region:** Sicilia, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €24
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, black pepper, vanilla, cloves, cedar, leather, mushroom, forest floor, smoke

## About this wine

The modern renaissance of Mount Etna's wines is fundamentally credited to Dr. Giuseppe Benanti, a local pharmacist who began reviving his family's old vineyards in 1988. Today, his twin sons, Antonio and Salvino, continue his pioneering legacy. Benanti remains the only winery on Mount Etna with vineyard holdings spanning all four slopes of the active volcano. This regional Etna Rosso bottling serves as a benchmark for the appellation, capturing the unique, high-altitude volcanic terroir of Sicily through a traditional blend of indigenous varieties.

## Interesting facts

- Benanti is the only winery on Mount Etna with vineyard holdings on all four slopes of the active volcano.
- The estate uses its own patented indigenous yeasts, selected from their vineyards after years of research.
- Founder Giuseppe Benanti, a local pharmacist, is widely credited with sparking the modern renaissance of Etna wines.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and moderate, silky tannins of this Etna Rosso make it incredibly versatile. The vibrant acidity cuts through rich fats in pork belly and duck, while the wine's earthy, volcanic undertones beautifully complement wild mushrooms and aged cheeses. Its elegant, medium-bodied structure is even light enough to pair with meaty fish like grilled tuna.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested in mid-to-late October from vineyards situated between 450 and 900 meters above sea level. Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio are vinified separately. Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats at 25°C with a medium-length skin maceration of approximately 20 to 21 days, utilizing Benanti's patented indigenous yeasts selected from their own estate. The Nerello Cappuccio is matured entirely in stainless steel to preserve its fresh fruit character, while 20% of the Nerello Mascalese is aged in second-passage French oak barriques for 8 to 10 months before final blending and bottling.