70% Carricante, 30% Catarratto, very small percentages of Minnella, Grecanico, Terribile, Inzolia, Coda di Volpe
Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Grottafumata, named after the prevalent “smoky caves” near the estate’s olive grove, is both a grower of organic olive oil on the western slopes of Mount Etna and a micro-producer of wine from Etna’s historically important “south side,” or lato sud, near Zafferano. Not wanting to deal with the bureaucracy of the Etna DOC, Mauro Cutuli and Mariangela Prestifilippo chose to declassify their gorgeous, golden, wildflower-scented nectar. Their inaugural vintage, made predominantly from Carricante vines with some Catarratto and Minnella, is a field blend with a brief skin maceration in the Etnean tradition from ancient vines on steep, volcanic slopes.