Go for the wine
More and more ‘wine tourists’ are coming to Etna all the time, attracted not only by the exclusive environmental context, but also by the nationally and internationally famous characteristics and quality of the volcanic wines.
Proud of this product of excellence, the Etnacoast consortium invites you to plan a vacation that takes in the ‘vitivinicole’ wine agencies of the area with tastings of the superb named wines of controlled origins (DOC)* and of good quality typical local varieties (IGT)* to better appreciate the landscape, the story and the traditions of grape-vine cultivation on Etna.
Do you want further information about the visit-tastings? Write to us!
info@EtnaCoast.com
A millennia story
The relationship between the people and the wine of Etna is very close and very ancient. The cultivation of the vines has been in existence since the pre-Greek age and can be found all the way from sea level to approximately 1100m above sea level. The Etna area was the first in Sicily to receive the DOC classification, in 1968.
DOC characteristics
The DOC Etna wines are produced from the ‘vitigni’ ‘plants of life’ that live in the area; there are the red Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio and the white Carricante and Catarratto. The characteristics of these volcanic wines are due to the nature of the lava-enriched earth, which is well drained, with a high concentration of potassium. The climate contributes greatly to the strength and quality of these wines, with strong thermal ranges day and night, and the ideal exposure of the vineyards: sunny, airy and very near the sea.
* The wines of Italy are categorised into four levels of quality:
DOCG wines are the finest wines with slightly tighter quality control than DOC
DOC wines are made from specified grape varieties, grown in specified zones and aged by prescribed methods. Most of the well-known names carry DOC classification.
IGT wines are a higher level of table wine and are the Italian version of the French ‘vin de pays’. The wine label will give a geographical description and a varietal name.
VdT wines carry the most basic classification and no geographical, varietal or vintage distinctions can be shown on the label.
