Calcaneus Etna Rosso 2024
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The Land
Passopisciaro is a working village on the north side of Mount Etna, and the Calcagno family's vineyards sit just above it at around 650 meters in two of the north slope's best-known contrade, Arcurìa and Feudo di Mezzo. The vines grow on small, winding terraces built in the early 1900s and held up by dry walls of black lava stone. Soils here are volcanic sand and ash, loose and fast-draining, and the altitude brings warm days, cold nights and a late harvest that often runs into October. That combination is why Etna red wine reads so differently from the rest of Sicily: lighter in color, higher in acidity, and more about perfume and minerality than power. Nerello Mascalese from Etna's north side is the benchmark for this style.
The Wine
The Calcaneus Etna Rosso 2024 is built on Nerello Mascalese with a small share of Nerello Cappuccio, the traditional Etna pairing, with Cappuccio adding color and soft fruit to Mascalese's structure. The estate has moved toward aging its reds in large, neutral oak casks rather than small barrels, which lets the wine gain texture without picking up oak flavor. 2024 was a hard year on Etna's north side: heavy rain in May and June brought downy mildew during flowering, then summer drought and hail cut yields sharply, and growers made several picking passes to bring in clean fruit. The house style is red cherry and plum, crushed lava stone and dried herbs, with bright acidity, light, fine tannins and a savory, mineral finish.
The People
Brothers Franco and Gianni Calcagno come from a family that has grown grapes around Passopisciaro for generations, selling fruit before bottling their first family wine in 2006. The vineyards are split between Arcurìa and Feudo di Mezzo, with Gianni managing the vineyards and enologist Alessandro Biancolin guiding the cellar. The vines are farmed organically. In Italy the wines carry the Calcagno name; in the United States they are labeled Calcaneus, the Latin root of the family name, after a trademark conflict. Giusy Calcagno, the next generation, now handles visitors at the cellar. This is a small, family-scale Etna producer working some of the mountain's most sought-after ground at a price that still makes sense.
Food Pairing
This is a red built for the table. Try pasta with crumbled pork sausage, wild fennel and a splash of white wine, the acidity cutting through the fat. Arancini filled with meat ragù and peas give the wine's cherry fruit something rich and crisp to work against. Grill thick pork chops and spoon salmoriglio over the top, the lemon, garlic and oregano picking up the wine's herbal edge. Or serve a room-temperature caponata with ricotta salata and grilled bread, where the sweet-sour eggplant meets the wine's bright acid head on. It is the kind of Etna Rosso you open on a Tuesday for dinner and finish without thinking about it.
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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.
