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.