Sicily

A Volcanic Voyage of Wine Discovery: Part 3/3 – Tasting some DOC Etna Contrada Archive Wines from the Benanti Winery…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Etna Rosso wines, built primarily around Nerello Mascalese with a splash of Nerello Cappuccio, ages more like Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir than a typical southern Italian red. Its pale colour and firm tannin-acid backbone are deceptive – the wines have real structure beneath a fragile-looking surface. Young Etna Rosso shows red cherry, wild strawberry, and volcanic basaltic minerality, often with a smoky, ashy edge from the soil. Over 8–15 years, the fruit shifts toward dried cherry, orange peel, and forest floor, while tannins soften and the wine gains a translucent, garnet hue. High-altitude vineyards and old, ungrafted vines (many over a century old, planted on their own volcanic roots) tend to produce the most age-worthy examples, with the acidity of the terrain acting as a natural preservative.

Etna Bianco, dominated by Carricante, is one of Italy’s most underrated ageable whites. Young versions can seem austere, showing citrus, green apple, and saline minerality, but within 5 to 10 years, they develop a honeyed, waxy, almost Chablis-like complexity, retaining remarkable freshness thanks to their high natural acidity and elevation-driven diurnal swings. This ability to age gracefully sets Etna Bianco apart from most Sicilian whites, which are typically made for early drinking.

Salvino doing a vintage masterclass in London.

The Benanti Winery, one of the estates most responsible for reviving Etna’s reputation in the 1990s, makes a strong case study for this longevity. Their single-vineyard wines: Rovittello and Serra della Contessa for Rosso, and Pietramarina for Bianco – are built specifically with cellaring in mind. Pietramarina in particular is renowned for improving for well over a decade, its Carricante freshness gaining an added texture and nutty depth while never losing its volcanic edge. Tasting older Benanti vintages reveals wines that don’t just survive time but are transformed by it, proof that Etna’s mountain terroir, more than any winemaking trickery, is the true source of its ageability.

Benanti Archive Vintage Notes:

Benanti Etna Bianco 2020, 12% Abv.

Bold and taut with an expressive maritime salinity, savoury flor style salty aromatics, crunchy green pears and yellow apples. The palate show lovely concentration and richness, piquant basaltic spice and herby sweet sour intensity. Lovely depth with a long, seductively white peach finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco 2019, 12% Abv.

Quite a taut, mineral aromatic profile with citrus peel, white blossom and maritime sea breeze salinity. The palate is bright, crisp and steamy, erring on the leaner, more linear style of Carricante.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco 2017, 12.5% Abv.

Fragrant lifted, perfumed nose with bold notes of crunchy green pear, green apple pastille, chamomile tea and flinty, mineral, white peach notes. The creamy textured palate has bright acidity, pithy tart green apple and unripe orange peel spice notes. Lovely balance with a fine mellow mineral complexity.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Rinazzo Vineyard in Milo

Benanti ‘Contrada Rinazzo’ 2022 Etna Bianco Superiore, 12% Abv. 

From bush trained Carricante vines planted at 800 metres. Fermentation and ageing all in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts. The aromatics are sweet fruited and piercing, boasting honey suckle, Wriggleys bubblegum, green apple, yellow stone fruits and hints of wet straw. The palate is dry and pithy, the acidity bright and steely, structured, taut and beautifully linear and saline with hints of oyster shell and basalt. The finish is crystalline and pure, beautifully balanced and harmonious with focus and intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Contrada Rinazzo 2021 Etna Bianco Superiore, 12.5% Abv.

Lovely savoury aromatics with hints of wet basalt, oat meal, lemon pith, oyster shell, crushed gravel, dried kelp and sea breeze nuances. Vibrant, mineral and rasping, there’s a brightness, freshness and energy over a restrained, briney wet stone, mineral bitter lemon, quinine persistence that leads you to a long, maritime-tinged finish. Classical and classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Contrada Rinazzo 2018 Etna Bianco Superiore, 12% Abv.

From the village of Milo, which allows it the Superiore designation, this is made in stainless steel fermented with propagated indigenous yeasts from their vineyards, left on lees for 12 months with stirring followed by an additional 6 months in bottle. The nose displays notes of yellow orchard fruits, an oxidative leesy salinity and a honey suckle, “sun wine” savoury character. More breath and textural depth of restrained fruit weight too than the straight Bianco but finished bone dry with a twang of rock salt. Very young but should develop beautifully.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vertical tasting of Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’:

Wines from the unique site of Milo located on the eastern slopes of Etna at 800 metres of altitude. 

Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’ 2020, 12.5% Abv.

A beautifully aromatic white with intricate notes of white flowers, freshly sliced pear, delicately savoury lees, lemon biscuits and plenty of the discreet, telltale saline basaltic minerality. Spending circa 30 months on lees, the palate is weightless and pure, intense and saline with subtle bitter lemon, sea breeze and an oyster shell finish. A quietly spoken wine that really shows an understated authority and intensity. Superb finesse. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’ 2019, 12.5% Abv.

More pithy, lifted and citrus driven with an incredibly harmonious aromatic array of yellow grape fruit,  leesy biscuit, basalt, white pear and sea breeze nuances. Such elegance and poise, this is a truly complex and intricate white with plenty of interest, minerality but also intense pithy citrus, bitter lemon intensity. Beautifully volcanic, salty and stony, but with a balancing dry fruit extract. Simply astonishing how complete and characterful this wine is. A seafood paring dream.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’ 2015, 12.5% Abv.

First vintage produced was 1990. The wine spends 24 months on its fine lees in stainless steel followed by 12 month ageing in bottle. Grapes are sourced from the best and oldest vines in the commune of Milo and forms part of the tiny quantity of Superiore Blanco produced on Etna.

Wonderfully complex nose of crushed basalt, struck match and reductive smokey mineral notes. There are underlying notes of sweet pear, lemon herbal tea and boxwood spice and rock salt. Palate is steely and taught, bright and tart with complexing notes of fresh fennel, white peach, and citrus blossom, finishing with a most intense rocky, liquid minerality and maritime salinity. Very young but shows immense potential.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’ 2011, 12.5% Abv.

With just a bit of tertiary age characters, the bouquet shows lovely notes of bruised white peaches, old honey, leesy spice, chamomile tea, white citrus, pomace stone and hints of diesel-fuel. The savoury note carries to the palate buoyed by intense liquid minerality, pear purée, bruised waxy apples and a sensation of sucking on wet river pebbles. The finish remains tart and fresh with a pronounced maritime influence.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore ‘Pietra Marina’ 2001, 13% Abv. 

Golden pale honey yellow, the nose show rich oxidative tertiary development with nuances of bruised peaches, meal biscuits, savoury white citrus and piquant aged, Riesling-like characters of diesel rag. The palate retains its bright acidity and liquid mineral mouthfeel with brine, resinous sappy spice and yellow apples on the finish. Earthy, volcanic and savoury, this is a complex mouthful.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Cavaliere’ 2022 Etna Bianco, 12% Abv. 

Made from 100% Carricante, the aromatics show a sophisticated mix of white flowers, yellow citrus and white pear fruits with a pronounced undertone of basaltic volcanic minerality. The fruits are saline and pithy with herbal wet river stone minerality, green apple and delicate herb infused pear drop fruit nuances. Sleek crystalline texture, delicate weightless concentration and a salty maritime finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Red Archive Vintages:

Benanti Nerello Cappuccio ‘Contrada Cavaliere’ 2016, 13.5% Abv.

A fine pure rendition of this rare Sicilian variety. Bottled unblended as an IGT label, it shows an attractive stainless steel expression with deliciously pure aromatics of bramble berry, black currant, sappy flinty spice and earthy reductive complexity. Tightly wound, there are juicy berry flavours of stewed strawberry, creamy mineral tannins and supple notes of liquorice, salty black cherry and graphite on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso 2016, 13.5% Abv.

A traditional blend of Nerello Mascalese sand Nerello Cappuccio, the nose is perfumed and penetrating with sweet Fraisse des Bois, bramble berries and savoury red plum. Finely poised, creamy dry mineral tannins and a harmonious, bright, fresh red berry and basalt rock finish. Lovely concentration and length.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Contrada Monte Serra’ 2016, 14.5% Abv.

Another fine Etna blend, the aromatics show more depth, power, minerality and also potpourri and red strawberry and red cherry fruit concentration. The palate is supple and fleshy with a deliciously alluring flavour spectrum of saline cassis fruit twinned with bright acids and linear, savoury tart plum and a red bramble berry finish. Really complex and already deliciously accessible but with age worthy aspirations.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Cavaliere’ 2017 Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv. 

100% Nerello Mascalese from 50 year old vines (permitted by the DOC since 2012) shows an intense, perfumed, savoury tinged aromatics of sun dried cranberries, ripe red cherry, and almost Nebbiolo like aromatics of tar and roses. Palate is cool and creamy with pronounced crushed stone minerality, cherry skins, sandy tannins and a long bramble berry finish with attractive botanical vermouth notes.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Cavaliere’ 2021 Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv. 

Intense and fragrant in the glass, the aromatics show richer, riper notes of red and black bramble berry fruits, strawberry compote, orange rind and subtle sweet vermouth botanical spices. On the palate the extra flesh and weight is evident, coating the mouth with sweet pithy red plum, red currant and spicy basaltic mineral tannins. Deliciously accessible and sweet fruited, the structure is preserved with vibrant acids and a drying stony minerality on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vertical tasting of Benanti Etna Rosso Cru ‘Rovittello’: (single vineyard)

Rovittello is the name of the vineyard on the northern slopes of Etna comprising of a natural field blend of 95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Capuccio. 

Benanti Etna Rosso Cru ‘Rovittello’ 2014, 13.5% Abv.

28 to 24 months in large oak barrels with at least 12 months ageing in bottle. Already beautifully perfumed and expressive, with violets, cherry blossom, saline cassis, sappy spice and dusty red cherry and graphite spice. The purity of the fruit shines on the palate with crystalline notes of sweet cherry, forest fruits, Pinot Noir nuances, mineral herbal grip and sappy, stalky Dujac’esque complexity. Bright pure acids, deliciously concentrated fruits and tantalising macerated strawberry finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso Cru ‘Rovittello’ 2011, 14% Abv. 

Slightly darker, bloodier nose with layers of black salty licorice, salty cassis, sweet red bramble berries and savoury macerated strawberries. The palate is soft, plump and harmonious, quite mellow and spicy but with dusty powdery tannins, dry chalky grip, layered with sweet cherry fruits, tart bramble berries and a graphite and liquid mineral tension on the finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso Cru ‘Rovittello’ 2001, 14% Abv. 

A fine garnet red colour, the nose shows pronounced tertiary savoury notes of wood spice, tannery leather, polished mahogany and sweet orange wine punch. Cool, spicy creamy textured palate, there is super juicy acids, bright tart sweet / sour cherry fruit notes, an element of linearity and a salty, dry, graphitey, grippy red liquorice finish. Delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vertical tasting of Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Serra della Contessa’:

(Single vineyard old vine plot in Monte Serra)

90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio from 110 year old ungrafted vines on the south eastern slopes of Etna. Matured for 18 to 24 months in large oak barrels, none new, from France and Slavonia. Stays 12 months in bottle before release. First vintage was 1998. 

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Serra della Contessa’ 2014, 13.5% Abv.

Bright tart lifted, energetic nose with intense notes of red cherry, dried rose petals, potpourri, saline cassis and sweet red apples. Palate shows a marvellous Burgundy meets Piedmont character with linear, taut black berry fruits, sweet forestry red berry intensity and a concentrated, plush, powerful, velvet in a silk glove approach. Deliciously fine and regal.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Serra della Contessa’ 2011, 14% Abv. 

A couple of years extra bottle age lend this Cuvee a real aromatic boost with less of the pretty roses and violet perfume and more savoury blood orange, earthy pomegranate and dried leather complexity. The palate is plush, fleshy and grippy with sweet orange peel, tangerine and sweet savoury red berry earthy notes. Drinking beautifully with a fine balance between fruit freshness and tertiary forestry complexity. Lovely.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Serra della Contessa’ 2001, 14% Abv. 

An earthy, forestry expression with nuanced tertiary aromas of basalt, sweet grilled herbs, dried orange peel, stewed strawberries, sweet tannery leather. The palate follows with more fleshy sweet herby forest berry fruits, stewed red plums, rosemary and savoury aniseed root complexity. Plenty of power and grip, this is really delicious as it reaches its maturity zenith.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Rovittello Particella No.341 Etna Rosso Riserva Alberello Centenario 2018, Etna Rosso Riserva DOC, 14.5% Abv. 

A beautifully aromatic complexity expressed through volcanic, basaltic notes of limestone, soap stone, gravel and dried flowers with potpourri, sun dried cranberry and cherry fruit hints. Always described as possessing a character that transects Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir, this wine certainly has the spicy, mineral texture of Piemonte with liquorice and tar, roses and dried orange peel, with a voluptuous glycerol old vine depth that goes on and on and on. Wow, this has got to be one of the top 3 wines I’ve ever tasted from Etna. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Next Benanti Press Tasting:

Benanti Brut Carricante 2021 Metodo Classico Spumante, IGT Terre Siciliane, 12% Abv.

24 month Metodo Classico using pure Carricante, made under consultation with a Francia Corta specialist. The aromatics are dusty and stony with a basaltic minerality, notes of pithy pear, peach blossom and honeysuckle. The salinity kicks in on the palate with a briney salty kick, delicious pear and white peach with tart green apple acidity and a pity, phenolic mineral grip. Mouthwatering, delicately sappy, decidedly maritime in feel but also beautifully accomplished with a creamy, explosive mousse. Very impressive.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Cavaliere’ 2022 Etna Bianco, 12% Abv. 

Released in April 2024. Made from 100% Carricante, the aromatics show a sophisticated mix of white flowers, yellow citrus and white pear fruits with a pronounced undertone of basaltic volcanic minerality. The fruits are saline and pithy with herbal wet river stone minerality, green apple and delicate herb infused pear drop fruit nuances. Sleek crystalline texture, delicate weightless concentration and a salty maritime finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Rinazzo’ 2022 Etna Bianco Superiore, 12% Abv. 

From bush trained Carricante vines planted at 800 metres. Fermentation and ageing all in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts. The aromatics are sweet fruited and piercing, boasting honey suckle, Wriggleys bubblegum, green apple, yellow stone fruits and hints of wet straw. The palate is dry and pithy, the acidity bright and steely, structured, taut and beautifully linear and saline with hints of oyster shell and basalt. The finish is crystalline and pure, beautifully balanced and harmonious with focus and intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

(Some Carricante were planted in 2020 and released in 2024)

Benanti ‘Contrada Monte Serra’ Etna Rosso 2022, 14% Abv.

A harmonious offering with a uniquely complex mix of basaltic minerality, dried herbs and delicate pithy, stony notes of red cherry and cranberry spice. Taut, tight and mineral, layered with subtle pithy red berry fruits, fine grained tannins and a long, classical, maritime-tinged finish with just a hint of warmth.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Contrada Monte Serra’ 2021, 14.5% Abv. (Magnum)

Deliciously earthy brambly fragrant aromatics showing notes of succulent sweet cranberries, red plum, pomegranate and blood orange with a delicate sweet 5 spice dusting. The palate is medium bodied and beautifully polished and harmonious with a stony fine grained texture, invigorating red berry acids and a savoury, brambly earthy intensity on the finish with a comforting warmth.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso Riserva Particella No.587 ‘Serra della Contessa’ 2017, Alberella Centenario, 13.5% Abv.

The pure, pristine aromatics are majestically fragrant and perfumed, packed full of candied red cherry, bramble berries, cranberry and delicately dusty, smoky, basaltic, mineral notes. Medium bodied but tight grained and concentrated, the palate complexity is enticingly salty and mineral with a powdery, creamy mid-palate, chalky drying tannins, finishing with  real purity and bright intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso ‘Contrada Dafara Galluzzo’ 2022, 14.5% Abv.

Deep dark broody smoky aromatics, made from younger vine 100% Nerello Mascalese, aged for 12 months in French Tonneau. The aromatics are dense, dark fruited and fully loaded with phenolic red and black berries, dried flowers, plum confit, liquid minerality and tarry, tangy, black cherry confit note on the finish. Plenty of intense fruit concentration, smoky mineral black berries and a delicately chewy, drying grippy saline finish. Powerful, complex but mouth watering. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Etna Rosso Riserva Particella No.341 ‘Rovittello’ 2017, Alberella Centenario, 14% Abv. (Magnum)

A taut, linear expression boasting aromatic layers of perfumed white blossom, pink musk, red berries, saline black currant and black liquorice stick. The palate texture is taut but beautifully polished, tight grained and mineral but with an airy, ethereal crystalline weight and purity, finishing with a picante, mineral, basaltic persistence. This has the weightless concentration of  young Grand Cru Burgundy with a taut, wound spring tension that ties it all together beautifully.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Calderara Sottana’ 2021 Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv. (Magnum)

An incredibly complex and intricate aromatics in the glass bursting with cranberries, sweet red plum crystallised red cherry and red apple. The basaltic minerality vein runs comfortably through the palate showing incredibly sleek, silky stony tannins, wet stone minerality and a pithy, red cherry and cranberry finish. All the complicated volcanic minerality distilled into a superb, accessible package. Really very fine. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Monte Serra’ Etna Rosso 2020, 13.5% Abv. 

A complex aromatics of bramble berry notes over strawberry, cranberry and defined hints of truffle and mushrooms. The palate is crystalline, pure and incredibly focused and precise with chalky, basaltic red cherry, cranberry and sour red plum. Really classy, mineral and harmonious. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti ‘Contrada Serra della Contessa’ Etna Rosso Riserva 2017, 14% Abv. 

This is an incredibly rich, intense powerful wine with seductive, expressive aromatics of sweet liquorice, tar, saline black plum, and pithy black cherry. The palate is silky and seamless but also beautifully chalky and textured with dry extract, glycerol black cherry, fleshy jammy black berry and a delicately spicy, kelpy, compote saline finish. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Benanti Nerello Cappuccio (Contrada Cavaliere) 2020, IGT Terre Siciliane Rosso, 13.5% Abv.

A pure rendition of this rare Sicilian variety. Bottled unblended under an IGT label at Etna Rosso is reserved for Nerello Mascalese, it shows an attractive stainless steel purity with notes of savoury black berries, sappy bramble fruits, milk chocolate and raspberry compote. Bright and crunchy in the mouth, there’s a lifted cedar spice, led pencil peppery note with chalky mineral grippy tannins, a medium bodied weighting and a cool, cherry cola tinged finish kissed with a resinous nuance. Subtle rusticity done very well. 

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Benanti Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Woodwinters. Contact: Andrew@woodwinters.com for pricing and allocations.

A Volcanic Voyage of Wine Discovery: Part 2/3 – The DOC Etna Contrada Wines of the Benanti Winery Tasted and Reviewed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Benanti Viticoltori is one of the founding estates and market leaders of modern winemaking on Mount Etna, based in Viagrande on the volcano’s southeastern slope since 1988, when founder Giuseppe Benanti set out to prove the region’s unique volcanic terroir potential. Today the family estate, now run by sons Antonio and Salvino, is widely credited with putting DOC Etna on the world fine wine map.

Benanti Tasting Room in Viagrande

Benanti’s whites are all made from 100% Carricante, Etna’s indigenous white grape, that are vinified in stainless steel and never aged in oak to protect their terroir expression. Grapes come from vineyards on the eastern and southern slopes, primarily Contrada Cavaliere and Contrada Rinazzo, prized for their high elevation and abundant light, with vines aged between 20 to 60 years old, some trained as traditional Alberello bush vines. The results are pale, mineral-driven wines with maritime salinity, pithy citrus, and green apple characters, of course epitomized by their flagship Pietra Marina Bianco, a Carricante Superiore from ancient vines near Milo considered one of Italy’s most age-worthy whites.

The Benanti tasting line up.

The reds centre on Nerello Mascalese, either bottled as a mono-varietal or blended with a small amount of Nerello Cappuccio,  grown in volcanic, mineral-rich soils across Etna’s different Contrade vineyard sites. These wines range from the everyday drinking DOC Etna Rosso to prestigious single-vineyard Riserva bottlings like Rovittello and Serra della Contessa, prized for their elegance, red fruit character, structure and clear volcanic minerality. Together, Benanti’s reds and whites showcase the remarkable diversity of Etna’s terroir.

Benanti tasting room.

On the second day of my DOC Etna visit, I was hosted by Antonio and Salvino Benanti at the Benanti Winery tasting room in Viagrande, next to the Contrada Monte Serra vineyards, where I was shown their full line-up of red and white wines as well as several back vintages for extra context. My full notes are below. Benanti only use local yeast strains that were isolated and selected since 2005 from four different remote Carricante and Nerello Mascalese vineyards far from any commercial wineries. Only these four selected yeasts are used today.

1 Benanti Noblesse Brut Carricante 2018 Metodo Classico, IGT Terre Siciliane, 12% Abv.

Sourced from Eastern slope vineyards of Etna, bottled spring 2019 and disgorged 14th Feb 2023. Aged 48 months on its lees with zero use of oak. Produced since 2002, the 2018 shows complex notes of sweet sappy honeysuckle, leesy biscuit, stony basaltic notes with hints of dried wild herbs and briney nuances. The palate is enticingly nutty and savoury, layered with pithy citrus peel, salted brioche and a subtle maritime salinity. Beautiful freshness and balance, delightfully flavourful and really quite delicious. Drink now to 2040+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

2 Benanti Etna Bianco 2025, DOC Etna Bianco, 12% Abv.

This Etna Bianco displays an incredibly expressive aromatics packed full of Sicilian lemons, brine, maritime salinity and dried baking herbs over hints of peach skins and a stony basaltic minerality. The palate shows a cool elegance, delicately supple and sleek with soft integrated acids, a crystalline briney concentration with a light to medium body, finishing with salted pears and a hint of white peach. Very attractive and approachable with a refreshing accessibility. Drink now to 2034+. (100,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

3 Benanti Contrada Cavaliere 2024, DOC Etna Bianco, 12% Abv. 

Made from 100% Carricante grapes that spend 12 months in stainless steel tanks post fermentation. The aromatics show a subtle dusty, flinty reduction with layers of white blossom, basaltic mineral spice, white pepper, crunchy pear, and dried herbal nuances. The palate reveals a fine concentration, delicately fleshy and pure with a crystalline fruit clarity, green pear and salty, pithy green apple with a delightfully tart, intense, characterful finish. Drink now to 2034+. (Circa 7-8,000 bottles produced.)

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

4 Benanti Contrada Monte Serra 2024, DOC Etna Bianco, 12% Abv.

Made from around 1.2 hectares of Carricante grown on very light, sandy soils, the aromatics are contrasting to the Contrada Cavaliere Bianco being more delicate, sappy, and leafy with green fruits, dried herbs and savoury, pithy bruised yellow orchard fruit notes. The underlying saline, briney, sappy character carries to a cool, sleek, elegant palate which shows subtlety, textural harmony, and a stony, basaltic maritime salinity on the tangy finish. Drink now to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

5 Benanti Contrada Rinazzo 2022, DOC Etna Bianco Superiore, 12% Abv.

From the unique Bianco Superiore village of Milo, this single site Contrada wine shows an incredibly intense, saline aromatics with a pronounced kerosene like pungency with a dusting of sweet baking herbs, lime peel, leafy sapidity and oystershell nuances. The volcanic basaltic minerality lurks ever present, the concentration notably punchy, profound and intense, layered with greengage, white peach and subtle green apple notes with yet more salinity and maritime characters on the long, persistent finish. An astonishing volcanic white expression drinking beautifully now. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

6 Benanti Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore 2021, 12% Abv.

The highest, most sandy vineyard in Rinazzo is generally used for Pietra Marina, although the exact designation is drawn from various “higher” eastern facing slopes. All aged in stainless steel, this 2021 shows a notable richness, aromatic density and intense maritime depth, with a chiselled complexity of almond skins, tangerines, orange peel pith, white peach and wet basaltic minerality. Full, plush and compact on the palate, there is a defined depth and density, an unctuous weight that is elevated by an astonishing salinity, a honied peachiness, and a superbly well integrated acid freshness. Undoubtedly one of the great white island wines of the world. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

7 Benanti Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore 2020, 12.5% Abv.

Considered a more ‘regular’ vintage on Etna compared to the hotter, more solar vintage characters across Italy and the Mediterranean. The nose reveals delightful aromatics with defined notes of briney salinity, hints of honey and kerosene, sapidity, and savoury, dried baking herb mealy nuances over yellow orchard fruits. The palate is impressively saline and pithy, heavily mineral laden with a wet stone intensity, but quite harmonious and balanced with an effortless concentration and balance. This wine is sitting in a beautiful sweet spot at the moment. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

8 Benanti Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore 2016, 12% Abv.

This 2016 is only just starting to show an inkling of tertiary development while remaining essentially fresh and mineral. Beautifully complex, the aromatics reveal notes of kerosene, diesel rag, lime peel, dry honey, white toast, waxy bergamot and chamomile tea nuances. Fabulously cool, harmonious and ‘complete’ on the palate, the crystalline purity shines, enlivened by the maritime salinity, basaltic stony minerality and a delicately savoury, briney finish. Gently evolving, this wine shows this vineyard’s true ageing credentials at 10 years old. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

9 Benanti Nerello Cappuccio 2024, IGT Terre Siciliane Rosso, 13.5% Abv.

The opulent aromatics show beautifully lifted, perfumed aromatics of wild bramble berries, sweet pithy strawberry, saline black currant and undertones of sapidity, cherry pipe tobacco and dried cigar wrapper. Soft, vibrant and plush in the mouth, the ripeness coats the palate showing none of the rusticity this grape is known for. The palate is medium to full bodied, compact and dense, yet effortlessly concentrated with pithy red and black berry fruits, a sturdy Basaltic mineral tannin backbone and a well-integrated, tangy brightness on the finish. A wonderfully unique and characterful wine. Drink now to 2040+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

10 Benanti DOC Etna Rosso 2024, 14% Abv. 

Since 2011, Etna Rosso was not required to be blended anymore by DOC regulations. But Benanti Etna Rosso remains a blend to this day, using varying quantities of between 10% and 15% of Nerello Cappuccio in the final cuvee. The aromatics are beautifully perfumed and lifted, showing the vintages concentration and intensity of red and black berries, red cherries, sweet cranberry and a delicate wild bramble berry spice. The palate is cool, silky and pinpoint pure, effortlessly elegant with silky stony tannins, a complexing minerality, and a delicate, succulent, spicy berry fruited finish. Such a classy, refined expression of Etna Rosso making it one of the benchmarks of the region. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

11 Benanti Contrada Monte Serra 2022, DOC Etna Rosso, 14% Abv. 

This unique volcanic site shows a pronounced minty, perfumed, black berry aromatics with pithy strawberry, thyme and dried baking herbs over the ever present basaltic minerality. Soft, cool and supple in the mouth, the texture is fine grained but exceptionally elegant, fresh and pithy, beaming with a stony, volcanic minerality. Perhaps a little softer and more supple than some other Contrada, this Monte Serra is accessible, generous and a genuinely delicious crowd pleaser. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

12 Benanti Contrada Dafara Galluzzo 2024, DOC Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv. 

This beautiful Nerello Mascalese shows a deeper, darker, broodier black cherry and black berry aromatics with a pronounced salty maritime character, hints of black liquorice, basaltic minerality, dried flowers, wild strawberry and a delicate kelpy nuance. The palate texture is quite strict, framed by vibrant acids and a chalky, stony mineral tannin frame that keeps the wine restrained, pure, and quite firm and fine. Very impressive precision and focus with a chiselled intensity. Serious and seriously delicious. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

13 Benanti Contrada Dafara Galluzzo 2022, DOC Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv. 

A ripe, intense expression that shows piercing aromatics of salted black liquorice, dried flowers, potpourri, pink musk and sweet exotic baking herbs. The palate is dark fruited, intensely saline and supple with a light to medium bodied weight, a sleek stony mineral vein and an effortlessly accessible character that makes this wine so delicious and inviting. The length is fabulously long, the black berry compote and black salty liquorice notes lingering on the concentrated finish. A very serious wine, but in many ways, quite a crowd pleaser as well. Drink now to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

14 Benanti Contrada Calderara Sottana 2024, DOC Etna Rosso, 14% Abv. 

The newest Contrada in the Benanti range, the first official vintage was 2020 with increased volumes produced in 2021. The whole vineyard is 0.8 hectares of Nerello Mascalese, produced on dark, rich, sandy, stony volcanic soils that yield powerful aromatics of black plum, saline black currant, pithy black cherry and stony, mineral basaltic notes. The texture is silky and incredibly fine grained, almost powdery, with pinpoint pure mineral tannins, supple integrated acids, massive density and a long, harmonious, concentrated savoury finish. This is a wine that really surprises you with its power, precision, and regal depth. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

15 Benanti Serra della Contessa Particella No.587 Alberello Centenario 2020, DOC Etna Rosso Riserva, 13.5% Abv.

DOC Riservas can’t be released before four years from harvest requiring at least 12 months ageing in barrel. This wine spends between 24 to 30 months in large oak before bottling, being aged another year or more in bottle before release. The vines were planted in early 1900s on their own rootstocks, producing a wine of profound depth and intensity. The aromatic breadth and depth are notable, the extra barrel ageing adding a complexing wood spice that combines with deep, broody black berry notes, pithy black cherry and salty black liquorice, finishing with chalky, drying stony tannins, saline black currant fruits and delicate graphite hints. This is a contemplative wine, regal and powerful, bold and confident, demanding your attention without too much exuberance. Wow, really something special. Drink now to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

16 Benanti Serra della Contessa Particella No.587 Alberello Centenario 2016, DOC Etna Rosso Riserva, 14% Abv.

Now 10 years old, this distinguished old bush vine cuvee is showing an attractive depth and complexity, brimming with deliciously inviting aromatics of raisined black cherries, black currants, and salted liquorice with a delicately sappy, leafy undertone. The fruit character is bold and plush on the palate, the acids softening, allowing the texture to coat the mouth with notes of stewed black plums, molasses, and black cherry compote. 2016 stands as a supremely harmonious, balanced vintage with real accessibility, balance and developing tertiary complexity. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

17 Benanti Rovittello Particella No.341 Alberello Centenario 2020, DOC Etna Rosso Riserva, 13.5% Abv.

The old vine parcel within the Contrada Dafara Galluzzo vineyards, the Rovittello 2020 is a supremely complex, intense expression displaying a pronounced saline, kelpy, black currant intensity over black berry, black cherry and delicately reductive, graphite nuances. The palate texture is fresh, lithe but intense and supple, the tannins loosening up to release the real salty black liquorice and black currant fruit intensity of these old vines. Impressively powerful and imposing, but also effortlessly sleek, classy, and accessible without shouting too loudly. This is a profound expression that redefines the essence of old vine Etna Nerello Mascalese. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

18 Benanti Rovittello Particella No.341 Alberello Centenario 2016, DOC Etna Rosso Riserva, 14% Abv.

This is simply a sublime expression from old vine Nerello Mascalese even though it is technically a field blend with a few Nerello Cappuccio vines co-planted. But this 2016 simple hits a new high, an aromatic Zenith of red and black fruited perfume, a delicately leafy sapidity, cherry pipe tobacco, and tightly interwoven basaltic mineral undertones. The balance and purity here is next level, the sweet tannins displayed boldly with no over ripe flavours to obscure the Northern Etna terroir minerality, the saline liquorice nuances and the black cherry fruit persistence. A profound wine on any global fine wine yardstick. Drink now to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines of Benanti are imported exclusively into the UK by wine merchant Woodwinters. Contact Andrew@woodwinters.com to request allocations and trade pricing.

Gaja’s New Joint Venture in Sicily Bedding in Nicely With An Impressive Second Etna Rosso 2018 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

IDDA is an exciting joint venture winery project between Angelo Gaja of Piedmontese fame and Alberto Graci that may have passed some people by unnoticed when its first red was released post lockdown 1.0 in July 2020. Together they own 20+ hectares of vineyards in the villages of Belpasso and Biancavilla which are currently planted with Nerello Mascalese and Carricante located at 700 to 800 metres above sea level on the south-western slopes of Etna where only three other wineries are located.

The 2017 was the first vintage of the IDDA Etna Rosso red and a pretty smart effort it was as well. However, 2017 was from a much warmer, riper vintage and while the finished product in the bottle was very high quality, the cooler, fresher, more ethereal expression of 2018 is for me, far more typical of the lighter, more elegant styles of wine associated with Etna and more specifically, the Nerello Mascalese grape.

Gaja Idda 2018 Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv.

Fermentation and maceration for the 2018 Rosso lasted for around three weeks, partially in oak and partially in concrete vats. The wine then spent a further 24 months ageing in oak and concrete. The 2018 is fabulously bright, lifted and perfumed with a pale translucent cherry red colour. There are pretty aromatics of dried rose petals, violets, potpourri, musk and earthy red bramble berry fruits supported by a complementary leafy sapidity and dusty, peppery, five spice nuances. On the palate an impressive clarity and purity of fruit is notable with cool juicy red berries, red cherry, bitter almonds, grilled herbs and slightly drying, chewy, grippy volcanic basaltic mineral tannins on the finish. Already beautifully harmonious and elegant, this wine certainly doesn’t lack any focus and structure in its youth and is undoubtedly a vintage perfectly suited to Etna and Nerello Mascalese where the purity and finesse of the fruit finds a wonderful symmetry with the freshness and minerality. This has class written all over it. Drink from release and over 8 to 12+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Fine Wine Safari New Release Review – Tasting the IDDA Etna Rosso From Angelo Gaja and Alberto Graci…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Sicilian wines are now super trendy undoubtedly helped in no small part by the fabulous tourism industry on the island and the incredible gastronomic feasts tourists enjoy on their visits. Sicilian food is some of the very best! Wine too is part of the life blood of Sicily, just as it is on the mainland, but the wines of Etna are cut from a totally different cloth. They are not the usual ripe, plush sunshine offerings of Nero d’Avola but far more intricate, earthy, ethereal mineral expressions that have more in common with Burgundy than the Mediterranean.

So IDDA is an exciting new joint venture winery project between Angelo Gaja of Piedmontese fame and Alberto Graci. Together they own 20 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Belpasso and Biancavilla which are currently planted with Nerello Mascalese and Carricante. 2017 is the first vintage of the IDDA Etna Rosso red and a pretty smart effort it is as well.

Gaja Idda 2017 Etna Rosso, 14.5% Abv.

A lot of expectations are built around tasting this maiden release of Gaja’s Etna Rosso, the first from Angelo and Gaia Gaja’s new project on the island of Sicily. This is an archetypal Nerello Mascalese expression with fabulous savoury earthy berry aromatics, overt sous bois, hedge row spice, volcanic minerality and a high toned basaltic, stony dustiness that attempts to court the subtle fragrant herbal notes and dried potpourri sapidity lurking beneath. Unmistakably Sicilian … until one starts to imagine sleek Nebbiolo notes lurking in the glass. The texture is certainly classic Nerello Mascalese and teases the palate with the lighter, sleeker more supple notes similar to glass of Pinot Noir cut with a slug of Langhe Nebbiolo and its accompanying tannin rusticity. All in all, this is a very precise wine, expertly crafted and moulded with vibrantly fresh acids and a seamlessly polished accessibility. Never easy launching a maiden vintage of any wine, but this expression certainly shows the incredible potential for future, more finely honed releases. Drink and enjoy this wine now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

It’s Nero d’Avola But Not As You Know It – Tasting The Tenuta di Fessina ERO 2013…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Tenuta di Fessina is an winemaking project which took shape based on Silvia Maestrelli’s love of the land. In 2007, with the help of winemaker Federico Curtaz, who had worked as Gaja’s agronomist for twenty years, the Tuscan wine producer purchased an old vineyard of Nerello Mascalese grapes dating back to the past century. In the middle of the vineyard stood a true gem: an eighteenth -century lava millstone with the chianca – the winepress – still intact.

L’vigne di Fessina, as the locals have always called the Rovittello vineyards, located in the town of Castiglione di Sicilia, show all the love and care poured into them by the previous owners over generations. Their ERO is produced from Nero d’Avola fruit sourced in Val di Noto, south west of Syracuse.

In 2013, a dry spring followed a long and not too hot summer. August and September were characterized by abundant and unusual rainfall, favouring a slower and gradual maturation of healthy grapes with an interesting aromatic profile. After a rather cold and wet September, an October of fine dry weather followed, which allowed for a favourable harvest with fully healthy Nero d’Avola grapes.

Tenuta di Fessina ERO Nero d’Avola 2013, DOC Sicilia, 12.5 Abv.

Fantastically expressive nose of ripe red and black berry fruits, sun dried cranberries, bruised black plums, stewed winter fruits, wet straw and subtle peacan pie and molasses hints. While there are ripe, raisined black berry notes, you’d be mistaken for thinking this was just another run of the mill, over-ripe, sun drenched, sweet fruited, simple Nero d’Avola from Sicily. While the fruit for ERO is not from the Etna region where the winery is situated, it is handle in a more delicate Etna’ish manner, showing wonderful freshness, elegance and delicacy on the palate. The palate bristles with fresh acids, suave textured red fruits, cranberries, raspberries and logan berry with a delicious underlay of chalky, mineral tannic grip. So cool, so elegant, so fresh, this wine totally defies the stereotypical style of Nero d’Avola. Already 5 years old, this wine is as fresh as a daisy and should drink very well for another 6 to 8+ years. A really classy expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Cutting Edge Cos Pithos Rosso 2015 ~ A Biodynamic Sicilian Block Buster…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Another quick review of a new vintage of one of my favourite Sicilian red wines. Cos Pithos Rosso 2015 from Vittoria, made biodynamically from Nero d Avola and Frappato, fermented in Amphorae, and bottled with minimal sulphur additions.


At COS, Giusto Occhipinti’s Pithos Bianco and Pithos Rosso are named after the 400 litre giare or pithos that are buried in the floor of the winery. The white, pure Grecanico, is redolent of wild herbs, whilst the red is an appealingly earthy morello cherry-scented Cerasuolo-style blend. 


Some may wonder what exactly is my fascination with amphorae wines? To be honest, I ask myself the same question regularly. But I think I can confidently surmise it’s got something to do with the extra effort and passion required to want to use these ancient, historical vessels to make wine when stainless steel is plentiful; Also the extra complex earthy, savoury dimension that amphorae impart on the wines fermented inside them, if done properly with precision and an eye for cleanliness. 


Tasting Note: Brilliant, bright ruby translucent colour. Nose is complex, rich, deep and intricate. Strands of earthy black cherry, violets, red plums and peanut brittle are interwoven with stewed plums, black berry crumble and an earthy, savoury, wild forest berry underlay. This 12 Abv. wine is lush, dense, but boldy vibrant and fresh on the palate, with tannins that are slightly chalky, slightly peppery, and slightly salty. All the earthy fruit notes of black plum, pithy cherry and strawberry compote are wrapped up tightly, seamlessly, with a pleasing red fruit infused herbal tea finish. A wine bursting with energy that I really want to drink. Super amphorae effort! (Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)