Italy has more active volcanoes than any other European country, and almost all of them have vineyards on their slopes. This isn't a coincidence, volcanic soil is among the most fertile and mineralically complex in the natural world. The combination of basalt-derived minerals, the exceptional drainage of volcanic rock (vines dislike waterlogged roots), the altitude that volcanic peaks provide (moderating temperatures in Italy's hot southern climate), and the specific aromatic compounds that volcanic minerals contribute to the grape, these factors combine to produce wines of distinctive character that the same varieties grown on sedimentary soil can't replicate.
The Italian volcano wine landscape: Mount Etna (Sicily), the most internationally discussed active volcano-wine zone in Italy. Mount Vesuvius (Campania), producing the Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC. The Campi Flegrei volcanic complex west of Naples (the Falanghina dei Campi Flegrei and Piedirosso dei Campi Flegrei DOC). And the island of Pantelleria (a volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia producing the Passito di Pantelleria and Moscato di Pantelleria). Each produces wines with a specific volcanic mineral character that is the common thread across very different varieties and styles.
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Etna: Italy's Most Exciting Wine Zone
Mount Etna's wine renaissance began approximately in 2000, when producers including Benanti, Cornelissen, and Passopisciaro recognized that the old-vine Nerello Mascalese on the mountain's pre-phylloxera terraces could produce wines of extraordinary complexity and elegance, the opposite of the powerful, jammy style associated with Sicilian wine at the time. The combination of the 600-1,000 meter altitude (providing cool temperatures for slow ripening despite Sicily's southern latitude), the basalt volcanic soil (providing mineral complexity and perfect drainage), and the centenarian Alberello (bush vine) trained vines (which produce small quantities of intensely flavored fruit) produces Etna Rosso DOC of a finesse and complexity that critics consistently compare to the great wines of Burgundy.
The Etna wine zone has now approximately 130 producers. The best-known internationally: Cornelissen, Benanti, Terre Nere, Passopisciaro, Galvrina, Cottanera. The contrade (sub-districts on specific slopes of the volcano, comparable to Burgundy's individual vineyard designations) have become the focus of premium production, the Contrada Calderara, the Contrada Rampante, and the Contrada Barbabecchi each producing wines with site-specific character. Visiting the Etna wine zone requires a car (the contrade are spread around the volcano's circumference). The best introduction is a tasting at the Benanti estate in Viagrande or at the Cornelissen cellar in Milo.
Q&A: Italy Volcano Wines
What makes Etna wine different from other Sicilian wine?
Three factors: altitude (Etna's vineyards are at 600-1,000 meters, significantly cooler than the Sicilian plains, allowing longer slower ripening). Volcanic soil (basalt-derived, high in mineral complexity, excellent drainage). And old vines (Etna has the largest concentration of pre-phylloxera vineyards in Italy, vines that weren't replanted after the late nineteenth-century phylloxera epidemic because the volcanic pumice soil blocked the aphid's progression). The resulting wines have high acidity, mineral character, delicate fruit, and aging potential that distinguish them from the full-bodied, low-acid wines of the Sicilian plains.
What is Lacryma Christi?
Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC (Tears of Christ from Vesuvius) is one of Italy's oldest named wines, documented from at least the seventeenth century. The name's origin is legendary: Christ, weeping over the souls lost in the gardens of Lucifer that covered the Vesuvius slopes, caused his tears to fall on the volcanic soil and produce vines. The wine (white from Coda di Volpe, red and rosé from Piedirosso) has variable quality. The best versions, from producers like Mastroberardino and Villa Dora, have genuine volcanic mineral character from the Vesuvius basalt terroir. The name is evocative. The wine ranges from extraordinary to tourist-trap.
What Nobody Tells You About Italian Volcano Wine
The oldest Etna vineyards, the centenarian Alberello bush vines that haven't been grafted onto American rootstock, are among the oldest productive vines in Europe. Several plots have been identified with vines over 200 years old. A vine of this age produces a fraction of the fruit of a young vine but fruit of extraordinary concentration. The wines from these plots (labeled as "vigne vecchie" or with the specific vine age on the label) are among the most age-worthy and most expensive in Italy. But they also represent a direct connection to a viticultural tradition that predates the modern era of wine production entirely.
Internal Links
- Sicily and Campania in the Italian Wine Map
- Western Sicily Wine: The Non-Volcanic Alternative
- Etna Wine to Bring Home: The Hardest to Find
- Vesuvius Area: Roman Villa Plus Wine Country
- Naples Archaeological Context for Vesuvius Wine History
- Etna Harvest: September on the Volcano
- Pantelleria and Ustica: Volcanic Island Wine and Diving
