La Calabretta
Massimiliano Calabretta is the fourth generation of his family to produce wine on Mount Etna. Beginning in the early 1900’s, the family made wine and shipped it north to supply their wine shops in Genova. Massimiliano is part natural winemaker/philosopher who, in his day job, is a Professor of Electrical Power Engineering, specialising in Nuclear Fusion!
The vineyards are located mostly within Contrada Calderara and are all albarello grown, many of them eighty years old and planted on piede franco (ungrafted rootstock). No chemicals or pesticides have ever been used and the wines are fermented naturally. His approach to winemaking is both highly experimental and staunchly traditional and the flagship wine, Vigne Vecchie, is Nerello Mascalese aged for up to nine years in botti grandi before being bottled and released. It is this approach that has resulted in Calabretta being compared to many of the greats of old school Barolo. MATT PAUL
The vineyards are located mostly within Contrada Calderara and are all albarello grown, many of them eighty years old and planted on piede franco (ungrafted rootstock). No chemicals or pesticides have ever been used and the wines are fermented naturally. His approach to winemaking is both highly experimental and staunchly traditional and the flagship wine, Vigne Vecchie, is Nerello Mascalese aged for up to nine years in botti grandi before being bottled and released. It is this approach that has resulted in Calabretta being compared to many of the greats of old school Barolo. MATT PAUL