VARIETY: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio
PRODUCTION AREA: ETNA, northern slope in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia
CONTRADA: Trimarchisa
TRAINING SYSTEM: Counter-espalier
PRUNING SYSTEM: Spurred cordon
YIELD PER HECTARE: 60 quintals.
HARVEST PERIOD: 2nd and 3rd week of October
VINIFICATION SYSTEM: The grapes harvested manually in small crates quickly arrive in the cellar where they are subjected to a manual selection on a belt. Destemmed and not completely crushed, they are sent to truncated conical wooden vats, where they macerate for about 10/12 days at a temperature of 22/25°C. Every day, several times a day, the grapes undergoing maceration are manually punched down with the aid of a pneumatic puncher. After fermentation, the grapes are left to macerate for a few more days after which they are drawn off and pressed with a traditional vertical press. The wine thus obtained rests in 25 hl barrels for 18 months before being bottled.
AGING: 18 months in wooden barrels and cement tanks and 6 months in the bottle.
ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS: Ruby red with soft purplish reflections. Rich and complex on the nose, it is very reminiscent of small bramble fruits, black cherry and a very delicate hint of sweet wood. On the palate it is decisive, complex and extraordinarily persistent.