Pietradolce and Vigna Barbagalli: Etna’s sustainable extreme flavour

Pietradolce is a new estate among Etna producers, founded in 2005 by the Faro’s, a pioneer family in the green business development. The Faro’s is a leader in Europe and Middle East for growing flowers and plants, thanks to Venerando Faro, aged 72, from Aci Sant’Antonio (in Catania province) who invented and crated a Nature’s jewel, Radicepura, a natural park, water and energetic self-sufficient, in Acireale and a must-stop place for thousands of visitors every year.

Firriato Gaudensius, the sparkling wine that releases volcano’s energy

Perhaps not everyone knows that since some years italian winegrowers can create excellent classic method sparkling wines in Italian regions different from those known as “traditional”. Well! Today I want to tell you about an excellent sparkling wine that comes from grapes harvested on the slopes of Mount Etna, in Sicily. Of course everybody knows Mount Etna and knows where it is: it’s the highest active volcano in Europe with its 3,350 meters of altitude. All around the mountain – on different sides – the vine has been cultivated for centuries, up to altitudes of 1,100-1,200 meters.

Benanti Rovittello 2013, an elegant, deep and Oscar-worthy Etnean Red

If you haven’t picked up on that by now, Sicily is my most beloved region: not just for oenological reasons, but above all because it’s where I was born, lived my youth and went through my school and university studies. You should know that every time I have a nice glass of Sicilian wine, I find it contains the perfumes, the colors, the flavors, the atmosphere, the very essence of my earth.