SICILY

the Nerello Mascalese which is grown all
over Sicily, are cultivated exclusively in the
territory of Etna and sometimes in just a few
districts of it.
In the 19 th century over 40 varieties of vines
were cultivated under the volcano, but the
phylloxera blight left drastic changes in
quantity and quality. Still remaining were
the Nerello Mascalese, the Carricante, the
Grenache (Alicante) and, to a lesser degree,
the Minnella and the Nerello Cappuccio.
Vine-growing on Etna is today the jewel of
oenology in the Province of Catania, and
it is the slopes of Etna, during the last 20
years, that have led the renaissance of
vine-growing in the Province, due to the
farsightedness of a number of celebrated
Sicilian producers, who invested in new
vineyards and wine-cellars in this territory.
The first impulse came, perhaps from
the intuition of Giacomo Tachis, who
Typical products
of the Volcano
The original products born in the area
around the volcano are many and varied,
creating a delicious cocktail of flavours:
the mushrooms of Nicolosi, the apples of
Pedara, the honey of Zafferana Etnea, the
sausages of Linguaglossa, the strawberries
of Maletto, the pistacchio of Bronte, the
salads of Adrano, the torroncini of Belpasso
and the oil of Ragalna.
They are born in a territory that is today more
exploitable thanks to regional organizations
Tasting Sicily n.01/2013 15
Terroir
understood the potential of this terrain for
the production of Pinot nero, for example,
but other researchers, too, understood its
vocation.
Itineraries in the Etna area are many and
varied. A starting-point may be Fiumefreddo,
at the exit from the motorway climbing
towards Piedimonte, where a modern
Museum of Vines and Wines has been
opened which also organizes wine-tasting
courses and sampling with prior booking.
From here you can enjoy a wonderful
landscape descending sheer to the sea,
characterized by hundreds of terraces in
lava stone against which glistens, especially
in springtime, the green of the nerello
Left, the fish market in Catania. Here are the
colors, the smells and the flavors of the sea.
such as the Park of Etna, which has initiated
a programme aimed at greater appreciation
of typical agro-alimentary and oenologicalgastronomic
products, which are increasingly
the result of biological agriculture and
integrated production.