After a winter that arrived late, with snow in the months of February and March, the last two weeks that have just passed have for me been very busy, full of energy and adenaline: Spring has arrived and a new year recommences!

After a chaotic, intense and wholly enjoyable Vinitaly, last weekend I was invited by Federico Latteri to participate in “Taste Etna” with a degustazione di confronto — a comparative tasting — between Etna Rosso 2013 and Barolo 2012, organised by Sicilian producer Alberto Aiello Graci. This event took place in Zafferana Etnea, a little town that lies at the foot of Etna, towards the west of the volcano, from where you can admire the coast from Catania to Taormina, just wonderful!

I was immensely impressed at how similar wines produced from Nerello Mascalese grapes grown on the slopes of Etna are to our own Nebbiolo wines cultivated in the Barolo zone: aromas that are well defined, intense yet delicate; precise, fresh and balanced in taste; elegant with finely textured tannins, in short, wines with great vitality and character that reflect precisely the personality of the producers and their terroir. These are wines made with deep emotion, honesty and passion, by men who believe strongly in their land. Here I find another place in the world where the wines remind me of my own land and my own roots: in Sicily, more precisely on the slopes of Mt Etna!

Here’s a report on the tasting in Cronache di Gusto:

www.cronachedigusto.it/component/content/article/19010-etna-rosso-e-barolo-degustazione-memorabile-a-taste-etna.html


Etna Rosso 2013 and Barolo 2012


With Davide Rosso (l) from the winery “Giovanni Rosso” at Aci Castello (CT) 20 km from Zafferana Etnea