Category: Travel

Another passionate and big investment in Etna’s vineyards, Graci are just a few minutes walk from Passopisciaro’s main street where the speed limit seems to be optional and the morning coffee choices are limited. Arriving at the same time as crates of just picked Carricante, those promising smells of a winery in vintage filled the noses of us lucky tasters.

As a nerdy aside, it’s maybe interesting to note a couple of choices when making white wine, starting as soon as grapes arrive. Here Graci choose to destem and crush rather than the whole bunch pressing of I Custodi. I’m pretty sure I can’t tell the difference when the juice is fermented and rested safely in a bottle. Both ways seem more about avoiding the flavour and texture of leaving the juice to suck up skin flavours. Fascinating, no.

All of Graci’s production seems to come from vineyards close to their home, even the whites are local to the north slopes rather than from the east favoured by some. They do have a joint venture with Gaja of Piemontese fame on the south west slope but the tasting concentrated on the home vineyards. Walking along the western edge of Arcuria on the way to taste, the vines looked in the best of health. 2024 is putting a smile on quite a few Etna faces. Speaking of which, the simpatico Riccardo led us through a broad and delicious line up.

The whites were maybe a bit rounder and softer than those from further east but had a purity and focus that showed some impressive definition as the two crus of Arcuria and Muganazzi were quite different in flavour and structure. The former riper, rounder and all yellow fruit, the latter really reduced, more linear with a higher line of ashy acidity. Interesting too how we all see different things in wine. Of seven tasters, I was the only one to prefer Arcuria, finding Muganazzi just a bit too sulphury.

On to the reds, noting that pink is for drinking not going on about, the cleanliness and purity were remarkable. But in no way diminishing the depth or sense of place. The 2021 Arcuria, Mascalese 100%, was hedonistic with rich perfumes of ripe wild strawberry juice, spice and fine white fireplace ash. A bottle would disappear as quickly as some drivers take the bends in the roads around Etna. From a special patch of Arcuria, Sopra il Pozzo, above the well, was well above many Etna Rossi in terms of rounded sweet autumn fruit, smoky with age, and a perfect wash of those volcanic tannins and acidity that leave no gaps. If we were tasting blind, I made the dubious comparison that I would have maybe thought it a mature 1er cru Burg with some austerity. Silly maybe but sometimes comparison is the easy option. Tasting such good things so close to where they grow is a privilege. Grazie, Graci and Riccardo indeed and the friendship that made it possible. Etna blew a smoke ring as a reminder of who’s in charge.

It’s been over thirty years since my first taste of a good wine from Italy, a Chianti I think from the great vintage of 1985. It was when proper Bordeaux became just about unaffordable for the eclectic palates who bought their wine from the much missed Richmond Hill Cellars in Melbourne. Thanks to that great shop, Italy fast became a source of well priced deliciously savoury wine. Those 1985 Tuscans did hit the spot, we could almost afford Sassicaia then. Many visits to the old boot later and still yet to set foot in Sicily. No better time really as Etna has tickled the radar in recent years, sometimes I’m not entirely sure why all the fuss but occasionally the odd bottle has definitely suggested a place like no other. There’s no better way to get there than the slow train from the coast north of Catania to Passopisciaro where the action is, or isn’t as John Coooper Clarke would say. Lots of investment in wine production, not a lot happening on the streets. A car would have made things a lot easier finding food, not to say driving would be a bit unnerving among the local Fangios. Careful google map planning, that never goes wrong does it, meant a nice hike through the vineyards to I Custodi.

It looked a healthy vintage. Happy vines and clean bunches. The winery is obviously a large investment in time and money but happily it looks more practical than architecturally extravagant. It must be close to self sufficient in energy use too and even incorporates an updated version of the old Arabic evaporation cooling system via the chimney on the right. It works well to suck cool air through the cellar below.

Thanks to the simpatico Maurizio, a sommelier of great knowledge and experience in the wine business, we got a great tour of vineyard and winery.

There’s a new plot of Nerello Cappuccio next to the winery. I Custodi are keen on the colour, freshness and structure it can add but not so much perhaps on its fickle nature. The single chestnut stake for each vine is the labour intensive way it’s been traditionally done. A trudge through the older Mascalese vineyard was like walking on a fine black sand and pebble beach of such softness, its black dust got through shoes and socks to leave sweaty feet blackened. Remarkably there’s some centenarian ancient vines which have survived phylloxera, gnarled and beautiful. Enough of the outside, inside to taste.

Ten bottles all in row, what a great sight. It was just about every example of their production. The whites in particular were extremely good. From vineyards on the eastern slopes of the volcano which produce finer Carricante perhaps? Pressed in whole bunches and stainless steel fermented and matured, there’s a purity and freshness but aroma and weight too. The real stars of the tasting were the two Ante and the Imbris. All three had that extra depth of aroma and richness, acacia or wattle as we smell in Australia, flower honey, nuts and white chocolate. Profound. The sort of thing found in great White Burgundy maybe? But cut with a breeze of indelible ashy acidity. The Imbris, I think, comes from a the prized slopes around Milo as it’s allowed superiore. From the rains the name suggests. The reds include about 20% stalks and 20% Cappuccio and a bit of older larger oak finishing. Nicely balanced between upright stainless only versions and the lift and nuttiness of more traditional ways. Except of course the Cappuccio, in purezza, as the Italians say which was deliciously bright, tense and reminded Maurizio of a good Morgon, well said. Maybe you can taste igneous rocks in a glass?

We ambled our way back to the village in warm sun thinking we knew a lot more about Etna. Big thanks to mates in the business in Melbourne for organising a such a treat.