Tag: Etna

Etna, a volcano of excellence – Italian Cuisine

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A ’muntagna, Mongibello, Etna. Call it what you want, but "she" (in Catania and surroundings, has tranchant about the genre, strictly feminine, of the volcano) remains unforgettable (unforgettable) as the New York Times called it.

But if volcano tourism has broken out in the USA, the phenomenon does not stop in the New World: Etna has ranks of admirers and aficionados also here, ready to climb the road that leads to its craters, to go trekking on the paths cut between the lava flows, skiing (skiing !!!) on the thirty kilometers of slopes of Linguaglossa and Nicolosi. But what goes up to the summit of Etna is also a way of the senses, which makes its way through solidified rivers of black lava and offers incredible views of the volcano and the sea, on very deep crops and valleys, on pastel-colored villages and villages built with lava stone boulders, on the farms and on the endless rows of dry stone walls also black with lava.

And if the eyes want their part, on the roads of Etna there is also room for taste. Travelers by gorge, at the foot of the volcano, find a small paradise dotted with delicacies, gastronomic excellence, unique products.

Which? It starts from Blood orange of Sicily to move on to green pistachio from Bronte, atMonte Etna extra virgin olive oil et al prickly pear from Etna, to the pecorino cheese Sicilian, alla cherry et al honey chestnut. Not to mention the wine. Easy, therefore, to come across the countries touched
from the over one hundred year old CircumEtnea railway (the one that runs at the foot of the mountain) in companies, wineries, distilleries, oil mills that work and transform raw materials.

Here, for example, in Aci Sant’Antonio (Ct) 3330: hand made in Sicily, says the company logo. Jams, jams and jellies of bitter oranges and bergamots, figs and tangerines, zibibbo grapes and pears are made from the Etna fruits. All rigorously prepared under the volcano.

In Randazzo there is Merlin houseo: from the olive groves as far as the eye of the property comes an EVO blend of the best local cultivars (Nocellara dell'Etna and Randazzese) but in the small company shop, in addition to home extra virgin olive oil, there is also a small but exhaustive selection of local products from honey (chestnut, sulla, orange blossom) to durum wheat pasta with pistachios.

181382Unmissable, then, Indigenous, amber, aromatic, alcoholic. A bitter (but perhaps it is an understatement to call it this) that has the intense soul of the island with its pomegranate notes that are enhanced by the hints of carob and sweet orange peel.

Last but not least, the green gold of Etna arrives, the pistachio, which in Bronte in Bio Sfera finds its reign: the cooperative of organic pistachio producers today offers in addition to nougat, crunchy fruits and pistachio chocolate also the products of Etna bio-farmers: oil, almonds and ancient wheat pasta.

Enrico Saravalle
January 2020

Donnafugata chooses Etna to expand its production and experiment with new wines with marked freshness and elegance – Italian Cuisine

Donnafugata chooses Etna to expand its production and experiment with new wines with marked freshness and elegance


The Cantina di Marsala chooses the northern side of Etna to expand its production and to experiment with new wines

He turns to what the locals call "A Muntagna", the immense volcano that breathes at irregular intervals, emitting long black or white smokes in the sky depending on whether they are gas or the result of an internal explosion, the new cellar of Donnafugata, in Randazzo, in the Statella district. Eighteen hectares of vines, plus another 18 not yet planted, in the middle of the magnificent landscape of the Etna Park, declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site.

A 50-year project

It was the 70s when Giacomo Rallo, father of Josè and Antonio, came for the first time on Etna, driven by a happy intuition on what would later become this territory. But the time was not ripe and Donnafugata left Etna to go to Pantelleria. Giacomo returned here in 2016 and then everything took shape, first the scrupulous choice and the purchase of the land, then the identification and restructuring of the cellar. The fervor that always accompanies newborn projects died out too quickly, when only two weeks later life decided otherwise for him. Antonio and Josè have carried on this dream of Donnafugata which is now finally reality: 36 hectares of land, which will become 48 next year, all in the Doc Etna, on the northern slope of the mountain, what in other contexts would not be considered while here is the side better, because the Nebrodis block the rains, they create a real pluviometric block. In this area the rainfall is 30% less than the eastern one, where the humidity coming from the Ionian Sea clashes with the Nebrodi and gives rise to intense showers.

Skiing, a unique terroir

Layers on layers of lava, which thanks to long physical-chemical processes give rise to a soil with unique characteristics: sands mixed with very porous parts, which allow the roots of the vines to go very far, in search of water. Here on Etna every casting gives specific characteristics to every terrain, each district has its own microclimate, which makes the concept of terroir even more meaningful. And here, from ancient vines of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, some prefillossera, born wines with equilibrium and recognizable elegance.

Donnafugata wines

The most surprising wine that Donnafugata has made here on the slopes of the volcano is a Etna Rosato, a wine born from an intuition, as Antonio Rallo tells us. «2018 was a bad year, there was the risk of throwing everything away. We decided to try making a rosé, collecting the just ripe grapes from the best vineyards, to capture the crunchiness, the fragrance and the freshness of Nerello Mascalese. The result is an interesting wine, with a very delicate color, very mineral, in which the plum, the apricot, and where the freshness is firm, clear can be heard. A wine with a long and persistent finish, perfect to combine with Christmas hors d'oeuvres, shellfish dishes, vegetable mousses and white meat main courses . From the Carricante grapes was born instead On the volcano, a Etna Bianco Doc, a very fresh, sapid wine with notes of tropical fruit and aromatic herbs. A part of the grapes is aged in wood and one in cement. The Carricante it is a grape devoid of primary aromas, so to enrich its bouquet it needs to evolve. It is a wine that goes very well with fish risottos, soups, vegetable dishes and mushrooms. Finally the two reds of Etna, On the Volcano and Fragore: the first has a fragrant bouquet with intense notes of red fruit and hints accompanied by delicate spicy nuances. On the palate the finish is soft and enveloping, balanced and persistent. At the table it goes well with appetizers and Mediterranean cuisine based on eggplant or mushrooms, roasted or stewed meats. clang it is a real cru, made with grapes from the best Monte la Guardia vines, very spicy, with notes of violets, berries and balsamic and mineral nuances. A structured wine, it has important but velvety tannins, with a long and intense finish. It goes well with game dishes, beef and pork stews.

The wine of the week: Etna Bianco 2018 Planeta – Italian Cuisine

The wine of the week: Etna Bianco 2018 Planeta


On the northern side of Etna, art and culture meet a white wine that tells the Planeta family's passion for the different territories of Sicily

"He enjoyed pouring on the ground and dispersing the water of science under the eyes of those who were thirsty." This is the 20-meter light installation that today adorns the Sciaranuova cellar by Planeta. The work, created by the collective Claire Fontaine, is dedicated to physicist Ettore Majorana, who as a boy spent his summers in family estates, placed right next to the company of Passopisciaro. We are on Etna, the Sicilian area that in recent years is witnessing a real renaissance of its viticulture, with almost a thousand hectares of vineyards planted and a hundred producers who have invested here, coming from other parts of Sicily, such as the Planeta, but also from outside the region. The artistic installation is just one of the reasons for a visit to Sciaranuova: in July, in fact, the fifth edition of the festival dedicated to contemporary dramaturgy, with shows in the vineyards. And then, of course, there are the wines.

The Planeta family began looking for vineyards on Etna in 2008 and in 2012 it built the winery on the north side. The property is developed to the south and north of the town of Passopisciaro: to the north, at an altitude of 800 meters, there is the Sciaranuova vineyard with ancient houses recovered and now used for hospitality, which also include a beautiful millstone; to the south, near the Feudo di Mezzo vineyard, the modern lava stone cellar has been built, inserted into the landscape in a suggestive way; to the Etna estate are added then those of Menfi, Vittoria, Noto and Capo Milazzo, where some labels are produced which have become icons of Sicilian viticulture of the early 2000s, such as the Santa Cecilia, a Nero d’Avola of the Doc Noto.

On Etna, the Planetas produce seven labels, divided into two lines, with the crus, called Eruzione 1614, outside the Doc. Very representative of the territory and their wine-making style is the Etna Bianco 2018, a Carricante in purity from grapes grown between 690 and 720 meters, in the area of ​​Montelaguardia. It is a wine which, with its generous aromas of ripe fruit, such as peach, plum and prickly pear, also conquers the less experienced palates, but which is able to seduce even the most demanding drinkers with its depth and the nuances of almond and balsamic herbs. When tasted, it is sapid and refreshing, with a slender minerality that makes you think of Etna even when it is uncorked thousands of miles away.

Why now: it is a fresh and savory wine that is very good with fish recipes.

As did: the grapes are harvested in the first decade of October; after soft pressing, the must is racked and ferments for 85% in steel and 15% in tonneaux. It remains on the fine lees until it is bottled at the end of March.

To combine with: shellfish, tartare and fish carpaccio, seafood first courses, fresh cheeses.

Serve it at: 8 ° C.

Price: 14 euros.

planeta.it

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