Tenuta delle Terre Nere Moganazzi Etna Rosso 2022
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The Land
Etna is not a hot-climate wine region, whatever its Sicilian address suggests. Contrada Moganazzi sits at 700 to 750 meters on the volcano's north face, in the commune of Castiglione di Sicilia, where nights run cold, harvests stretch into October and Nerello Mascalese ripens slowly. The soil is young and not deep: a topsoil of volcanic ash over layers of pebbles and stone, laid down by lava flows that differ from one contrada to the next. That fast-draining, low-fertility ground keeps vigor down and gives the wine its dusty, mineral edge. The north slope is divided into contrade much like Burgundy's crus, and Moganazzi is one of the sites that shows how precisely Etna red wine can reflect a single piece of the mountain.
The Wine
The Terre Nere Moganazzi Etna Rosso 2022 is 100% Nerello Mascalese from a single contrada. Fermentation runs at a controlled 28 to 30°C, malolactic follows spontaneously, and the wine then spends 16 to 18 months in French barriques and tonneaux plus one month in steel before bottling. The oak shapes texture more than flavor, rounding the grip of Nerello's tannin without covering the fruit. The 2022 season on the north side turned dry from June, with August rain bringing relief and hail touching some sites at harvest, and the wines came in with texture and ripe fruit. Violet, blood orange, dusty black cherry, clove and cinnamon stick, then crushed stone and dried red and blue fruit, brisk acidity and fine, chalky tannins that carry a long, fresh finish.
The People
Marc de Grazia made his name in the 1980s championing the new wave of Barolo producers before turning his attention to Etna. He released the first Tenuta delle Terre Nere wines in 2002, the same year he called Etna "the Burgundy of the Mediterranean," and 2004 was the first vintage made entirely in the estate's own cellar. The Burgundian idea runs through everything: Burgundy-shaped bottles, and Nerello Mascalese vinified and bottled contrada by contrada, with around 70 separate micro-vinifications of Nerello each year. The vineyards are farmed organically, with only copper-based Bordeaux mixture in the vines and manure as fertilizer. The labels are drawn by de Grazia's daughter, a small family detail on one of the wineries that put Etna on the modern wine map.
Food Pairing
Nerello has the acidity and fine tannin to handle food that would flatten a heavier red. Try pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato and a heavy grating of ricotta salata, the acidity lifting the sweet, oily eggplant. Grill fennel pork sausages over charcoal and serve them with broccoli rabe and chili, letting the spice meet the clove and cinnamon in the glass. Roast duck breast finished with a blood orange pan sauce mirrors the wine's citrus side. Or go simple with swordfish steaks grilled with capers, olives and oregano, where the brine and herbs sharpen the wine's mineral edge. This is the bottle for the night you want a serious red that still leaves room for the next glass.
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Sicily, Italy’s largest island, blends ancient wine traditions with a fresh wave of modern creativity. Its star red grape, Nero d’Avola, thrives in the island’s warm, sun-soaked climate, producing intensely flavored wines with dark fruit and a hint of savory spice. Along the western coast lies the historic heartland of Marsala, a fortified wine prized for both sweet and dry styles. Rising above the island’s varied landscapes is Mount Etna, an active volcano whose mineral-rich soils and cooler elevations result in elegantly structured reds and nuanced whites. From coast to crater, Sicily’s wine culture is as diverse and vibrant as the region itself.
Italy - Sicily
Named for its pale color and hometown of Mascali, Nerello Mascalese is a rising star in the wine world. Indigenous to Mount Etna, it was overlooked for decades until recently the world has taken notice of the elegant yet powerfully minerally wines produced on the volcanic slopes. Think halfway between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.
