Alta Mora, Mt Etna, Sicily, Rosso 2022

Alta Mora Etna Rosso is a high-altitude Nerello Mascalese from the Cusumano family's Mount Etna estate in Sicily, grown on black volcanic soils.

Etna Rosso DOC | Volcanic Nerello Mascalese | Elegant and Age-Worthy

Tasting Notes

Alta Mora Etna Rosso is a ruby red colour. Spicy pepper aromas with black currant and hints of mountain herbs. Vibrant and intense with well-integrated tannins. 100% Nerello Mascalese, fine spices, pepper bright, blackcurrant and mountain herbs. Firm yet fine, an elegantly structured wine, long and sophisticated.

Often called Sicily's answer to Barolo or Burgundy: pale, perfumed and savoury.

Why you'll love it: Think of it as a Mediterranean cousin to Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir, pale in the glass but full of perfume, red fruit and savoury volcanic grip. Elegant enough for the table tonight and structured enough to cellar for a few years.

Reviews

90 Points, Wine Enthusiast (2022): "raspberries and wild strawberries, top soil, wild oregano, graphite."

The Grape

Nerello Mascalese is Etna's great native red grape, prized for its pale colour, high-toned red fruit and firm, fine tannins that draw frequent comparisons to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. Alta Mora draws its fruit from several contrade across the volcano's slopes and matures it in large-format oak, so the volcanic site, not the barrel, leads.

About Alta Mora

Alta Mora is the Cusumano family's dedicated Mount Etna estate in Sicily, set high on the volcano's slopes. The vineyards spread across several contrade on black volcanic and lava soils, at altitudes of roughly 600 to 1,000 metres, planted to Etna's great native grapes: Carricante for the whites and Nerello Mascalese for the reds. Winemaking is deliberately restrained, leaning on large-format oak and stainless steel so the volcanic terroir, rather than the cellar, sets the tone. The wines are fresh, mineral and age-worthy, and have become some of Etna's most dependable ambassadors.

Perfect with roast lamb, mushroom risotto, aged pecorino, or a board of cured meats and rich cheeses.

Explore more from Italy and Spain or our European Style Reds, or call or text Laura on 021 591 500 for a personal recommendation.