On the North side of the Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, Donnafugata realizes its dream of producing the wines of the prestigious Etna denomination, proposing the excellence of Sicilian wine from different territories.
The Etna denomination is the first DOC to be established in Sicily. On the north side of the great mountain, Donnafugata cultivates 18 hectares of vineyards, located in 6 different districts, between Randazzo, at 750 m above sea level, and Castiglione di Sicilia, at 730 m above sea level.
This is a territory of extraordinary charm and wine-growing prestige, and enjoys a marked variability of climate and soils that are all different from one another and all aimed at high quality wine production. The nature of the soil, closely linked to the volcanic matrix, is in fact made fertile by the accumulations of lava – the sciare or flows – which through long physical-chemical processes give life to the sandy and therefore cultivable soils on the slopes of the volcano.
On Mount Etna Donnafugata produces four wines, which reflect the style of the winemaking company, which is based on the search for excellence in Sicilian wine from different territories, all with extraordinary potential.
Delicate, floral and endowed with great freshness is Sul Vulcano Etna Rosato 2018: presented last year at Vinitaly, it is produced with Nerello Mascalese grapes. A wine that captivates for its fragrance, the delicate hints of wisteria and plum, and its distinct minerality.
Sul Vulcano Etna Bianco 2017, a small production of quality grapes from Carricante, an ancient variety cultivated on the slopes of Etna already documented in 1868 by the ampelographer Mendola. Sul Vulcano Etna Bianco is a wine of great elegance and complexity: it features refined notes of aromatic herbs, citrus fruits and flint; on the palate it is enveloping, fresh and sapid, characterized by marked minerality and persistence.
A perfect expression of the terroir of Etna is Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso 2017: produced from Nerello Mascalese grapes, it has a fragrant bouquet with intense notes of red fruit and floral hints accompanied by delicate spicy nuances. On the palate it is soft and enveloping; the finish is balanced and persistent.
The potency of Etna’s terroir is outstandingly expressed in Fragore 2016, Etna’s iconic wine. Donnafugata’s Etna Rosso Cru is the prized fruit of Nerello Mascalese from the vineyards of Contrada Montelaguardia, 750 metres above sea level. In this district the composition of the soil is the result of the lava flows that occurred between ‘500 and ‘600; the interaction between these soils, their microclimate and the 70-year-old vines, make the characteristics of the grapes produced here and the wine that derives from them unique and exceptional. Fragore 2016 conquers for its extraordinary complexity and volcanic elegance. Its bouquet is ample and deep, with hints of spices and berries combined with mineral and balsamic notes. It reflects its bouquet on the palate and features notable tannins and a finish of remarkable persistence.
