Nerello Mascalese

The words Nerello Mascalese trip off the tongue like a good glass of Etna Rosso; perhaps it’s one of those ‘oenomatopoeic’ (sic) wines which taste like they sound! Nerello Mascalese makes wines that are nicely perfumed with pretty red fruit on the palate whilst delivering enough structure and alcohol to raise them into the fine wine category. Indeed many would say Nerello Mascalese is the Pinot Noir of Sicily. It forms the backbone of Etna Rosso wines with 80% being the minimum allowed and originated from Mascali just down the coast from Taormina. Grown high up amongst the lava fields on the north side of Mount Etna, it is notably late ripening, the harvest being well into October.