This is created from vines grown ad alberello supported by a stake made of chestnut wood. The vines grow alongside each other, a metre apart, perched along magnificent lavic stone terraces on Europe’s highest active volcano - Etna. These vines send their roots down into the volcanic soil generated from the lavic rock which, for millennia now, has been rising to the surface to cause spectacular volcanic eruptions covering the whole of mountain.
The Gabry vineyard (covering about two hectares) is situated on the northern slope of Etna near Randazzo, at 1,200 metres above sea level. The vines today are the indigenous Carricante, Grecanico and Minnella varieties. The soil is sandy, rich in minerals and the mountain climate is characterised by notable swings between day and night temperatures.
The Gabry vineyard (covering about two hectares) is situated on the northern slope of Etna near Randazzo, at 1,200 metres above sea level. The vines today are the indigenous Carricante, Grecanico and Minnella varieties. The soil is sandy, rich in minerals and the mountain climate is characterised by notable swings between day and night temperatures.
description: Sicily, Typical Geographical Representation
area of production: East slope of Etna
altitude: 850m above sea-level
climate: marked variations between day-night temperatures
soil: sandy, volcanic, rich in minerals, causing slightly acidic reaction
vines: carricante, grecanico, minnella
cultivation system: cultivated ad alberello supported by stakes of chestnut tree wood and planted in units of five as per the classic method of cultivation in the Etna region
density of growth: around 10,000 vines per hectare
grape yield/Ha: 80 q.li./Ha
vineyards: Gabry
vinification: the grapes are harvested, selected and pressed by gentle squeezing, fermented in small casks at 20°C
matured in yeast in casks: for around a year
final refining in bottle: for at least two-and-a-half years
colour: pale yellow-lime green
aroma: fruity with hints of apple, aniseed and bitter almond. As it matures it also develops subtle notes of acacia honey
flavour: dry, harmonious, nicely structured, properly acidulated, spicy aftertaste
degree of alcohol: 12-12.5%
to be served at: 12°C
storage: bottle to be laid down in a cool environment
area of production: East slope of Etna
altitude: 850m above sea-level
climate: marked variations between day-night temperatures
soil: sandy, volcanic, rich in minerals, causing slightly acidic reaction
vines: carricante, grecanico, minnella
cultivation system: cultivated ad alberello supported by stakes of chestnut tree wood and planted in units of five as per the classic method of cultivation in the Etna region
density of growth: around 10,000 vines per hectare
grape yield/Ha: 80 q.li./Ha
vineyards: Gabry
vinification: the grapes are harvested, selected and pressed by gentle squeezing, fermented in small casks at 20°C
matured in yeast in casks: for around a year
final refining in bottle: for at least two-and-a-half years
colour: pale yellow-lime green
aroma: fruity with hints of apple, aniseed and bitter almond. As it matures it also develops subtle notes of acacia honey
flavour: dry, harmonious, nicely structured, properly acidulated, spicy aftertaste
degree of alcohol: 12-12.5%
to be served at: 12°C
storage: bottle to be laid down in a cool environment
The Grecanico. The origins of this vine are not known. It’s been cultivated in Sicily for several centuries now and was already described by the Sicilian monk, Cupani, in 1696. The plant is strong with a medium-size leaf. The bunch is medium-size, conical and fairly long, comes either in just one single bunch or divides into two and generally has a fairly straggly appearance. It has a rounded slightly flat berry of a golden yellow colour.
Carricante is a truly ancient vine native to Etna. It is common, especially across the eastern slopes (950 metres above sea-level) and those on the southern side (1,050 metres above sea-level) of the Etna region, in higher-lying districts where the Nerello Mascalese grape finds difficulty in maturing easily or in vineyards where it is grown alongside the same Nerello Mascalese as well as the white Minnella variety. As with all indigenous Etna vines, the grapes mature late (around mid-October).The Carricante grape, on Etna, gives wines which are characterised by a high fixed level of acidity, a particularly low pH and a significant malic acid content. Sestini (1774) mentions the practice of winemakers in the highest levels of Etna who would leave the sediment (which turned into a sort of leavening yeast) from the wine produced from Carricante, so as to, in the spring, stimulate malolactic fermentation and thus, to a certain extent, counteract the pronounced acidity typical of this wine. The Carricante grape produces great white wines which can be kept for unexpectedly long periods of time and in which the predominant flavours are apple, orange blossom and aniseed combined with a typical and pleasant basic acid touch to the taste which, as well as lending it structure, makes it ideal for keeping.
Minnella. Wandering round the vineyards of Etna it is easy to find a vine with a white grape whose characteristic shape is fairly long and comes in medium to large size bunches, namely the Minnella. This indigenous variety is grown only in the Etna region, where it is mainly found in old vineyards alongside the Nerello Mascalese and the Carricante varieties. A long time ago, it was also cultivated, in small quantities, at Agira, a municipality in the province of Enna. The name Minnella, "Minnedda janca", was given to it by local vine growers because of the original shape of the berry, which looked like a “minna", in other words a breast, although there are no historical records of its real origin. The Minnella can be used to produce an Etna D.O.C. wine up to a maximum of 10% along with the Nerello Mascalese, the Nerello Cappuccio and the Carricante. It ripens somewhere around the middle of September, in other words earlier than the other native Etna varieties (during the first two weeks of October). Recently a well-known company in the Etna region used a purifying process to produce a Minnella which resulted in a very interesting white wine of a pale yellow colour, with the aroma of ripe fruit, normally with hints of aniseed, as well as a dry, aromatic bouquet which lingers very agreeably on the tongue.
