From its perch on the north-eastern corner of the island, Etna dominates Sicily, visible as a distant, brooding, often smoking sentinel. As you get closer, the volcano looms above, and the vegetation changes from sun-dried scrubland to lush groves of hazelnut, oak, olives and, of course, vineyards. Nerello Mascalese, the 'Nebbiolo of the South', is the primary red grape in the appellation, and Carricante the most important white. Both are native to Sicily, and find their finest expressions at high altitude on these volcanic slopes.
The origins of Etna as an internationally renowned wine region began, like so many, when phylloxera ravaged France in the late 1800s. Just as Rioja replaced Bordeaux, so Etna replaced Burgundy, shipping vast quantities of wine to France and the rest of the world. Phylloxera could not survive in the harsh soils of the mountain, making Etna a haven for viticulture. Then, in the early 1900s, the use of American rootstock allowed Burgundy to replant and recover and the market left Etna behind. When the DOC was created in 1968 - making it one of the oldest in Italy - there were just five producers left.
Recovery began in the 2000s, as winemakers rediscovered the treasure trove of vineyards lying dormant on the slopes of the volcano. Amongst these were Michele and Mario Faro. Their grandfather had farmed grapes on the volcano, and they returned in 2005 to found Pietradolce. They began with a small parcel in the Contrada (equivalent to 'cru') Rampante (vines over 90 years old, 850m altitude), bottled under the name 'Archineri'. A white Archineri followed, from Contrada Caselle (over 130 years old, 850m altitude), along with old-vine parcels from Feudo di Mezzo (over 80 years old, 650m), Spirito Santo (over 90 years old, 900m) and another parcel of Rampante, adjacent to Archineri but on a different lava flow, which bears the name of the contrada. All of these vineyards are own-rooted, trained in the 'albarella' method (bush vines supported by poles) traditional to Etna. The cooling influence of altitude and a sensitive touch in the cellar by winemaker Giuseppe Parlavecchio imbue the wines with elegance, complexity and an impressive potential for ageing. /JH
