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“The first time I produced this wine was in 2005. Basically I wanted to remove the white grapes that, in the old vines, it was customary to plant in small quantities mixed with the reds, to make my Etna Rosso with just Nerello. The white grapes were a blend of native varietals: Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico and Minnella. And from the blending of these grapes, with a prevalence of Carricante, my Etna Bianco was born” Marco de Grazia And it still is. All from old vines. And somehow it works. A perfect, delicious wine. With the spontaneous grace of a dancer, it never loses its brightness and pace.
“I produced this wine for the first time in 2007. Don’t get me wrong: I really like beautiful rosé wines. I just never thought I’d make one. It wasn’t my priority. But it was for my daughter Elena. The attraction of pink to girls is well known, particularly at the venerable age of 3. As having painted the cellar pink was just not enough. Was there a red wine? Was there a white one? Well, we also needed a pink one! And the extraordinary versatility of Nerello, I soon discovered, was just what was needed. Not an easy wine to make. Indeed, quite the opposite: balance is sought on tiptoe. The Platonic ideal, at least as I see it, if I am allowed to express myself so, would be the rosato that has the body of a white and the soul of a red. However, this is what I am looking for: a wine that is joyful without being frivolous; that has tension without being austere. And I feel we are close”. Marco de Grazia
After all, as for the reds, arriving at the production of the white Cru is the culmination of a dream, however pursued in a scientific way: from separate vinification to the understanding of which grape was adequate, which soil and what work was necessary to arrive at long awaited production. The two white Crus from the Northern area, denominated with the Contradas of origin, respectively Calderara Sottana and Santo Spirito, are composed of Carricante from old and young vines, as to find excellent Carricante in an area of the DOC mainly dedicated to reds it’s not easy.
For centuries and centuries the northern slopes of Etna have been recognized for the best red grapes in the area; so much so that white grapes have never been planted here, (except for a small percentage mixed with red ones to lighten the powerful red wines). “This is why I have established the Tenuta delle Terre Nere here. Some specific areas of the eastern and southern areas of Etna, due to ancient and recent history of excellence in viticulture, already attracted me a lot. In short, I became particularly interested in the viticulture of the smallest municipality in the eastern area, Milo. From the 18th century until a dozen years ago only one company existed in Milo, and it was famous for its whites. And when in 1968 the statute of the D.O.C. Etna was established, only the whites of Milo were allowed to carry the “Superiore” denomination. In fact, as I see it, the microclimate of Milo makes the production of red wines unlikely, while that of rosé wines interesting, and that of whites potentially admirable even if it requires a very special attention”. Marco de Grazia
