Tenuta di Passopisciaro

Andrea Franchetti, known mainly for his iconic wine, Trinoro, from southeast Tuscany’s wild Val d’Orcia elected to set himself a further challenge, rebuilding terraced vineyards on the slopes of a live volcano! Etna is no retiring violet – a constant trickle of smoke and the odd flame destroying any illusions to the contrary. Sicily in general and Etna in particular form a strangely beautiful, haunting terroir, which presents a unique palette of aromatics to the winemaker. Here minerality assumes a new dimension, with individual lava flows imparting a distinctive personality and complexity on the finished wines – as do different altitudes. Whatever drives Andrea to such lengths, we must be grateful that he has the courage to envisage seemingly impossible projects and to succeed in them. With Franchetti, Andrea is pushing the boundaries further than simply mastering indigenous varietals. Here he has planted Petit Verdot, ordinarily used as a seasoning in Bordeaux and an ancient varietal Cesanese d’Affile to see just how they perform on this unique terroir – with outstanding results.