Description
Region: Sicily
Grape: Nerello Mascalese
Soil: volcanic
Average Age of Vines: 50 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: destemming and light crushing of the grapes; fermentation starting with a “pied-de-cuve” keeping the must in skin contact for one night
Aging: in epoxy tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: 5 micron cartridges
Added SO2: values can vary from 15 to 60 mg/l., added or not, depending on the quality of grapes and stability of the wine.
From Frank: “A few years ago we were contacted by Patagonia whether we were interested in doing a project with wine for them. First I thought the mail was spam but it was not. Being a great admirer and user of Patagonia clothing and equipment I was blown away and flattered. Patagonia stands for preserving and developing a sensitivity for nature, which is exactly what we are doing here on Mount Etna producing artisanal, organic wines with respect for nature.
This could not be simply bottling any wine for them and sticking a label on it. This wine had to have a concept. And so I looked at what Etna winemaking represented in the past, different from my approach and vision to winemaking. Pistemutta represents the old-school winemaking on Etna of local farmers, called ‘contadino’. Wines with little skin contact, light bodied, fluid and elegant. This project makes me happy as it takes me back into the history of Etna viticulture, long before I started producing wines here on Mount Etna.”
