A white grape native to Sicily's Mount Etna region, valued for its high acidity, citrus character, and volcanic minerality.

Alberto Aiello Graci has been making wine on Sicily's Mount Etna since 2004. The estate's vineyards are undoubtedly some of the most representative of Etna, extending across the Contradas of Arcuria, Feudo di Mezzo, Barbabecchi, Moganazzi and Santo Spirito, whilst the winery itself is closer to the village of Passopisciaro.

The Graci vines are 50 year old free-standing 'alberello' vines at 1000 metres above sea level that produce naturally low yields amid the black grainy, volcanic soils. Alberto prefers to tend his vines as naturally as possible and Fermentation takes place in a combination of large cement and Austrian Stockhinger oak casks.

The wines are both elegant and show off the Mt Etna terroir, which has in the last 15 years rocketed to a global sensation.

'Etna is a special place,' says Graci, citing 3 reasons. First, it has the sun of Sicily but a climate moderated by altitude. Second, it has volcanic soils. Third, it has old ungrafted vineyards.

"The wine must be born of the territory and at the same time reflect the character of the vintage" Alberto and Elena Graci.

According to Greek legend, the god of wine Dionysus was the first to have planted a vineyard in Sicily; kick-starting the viticulture of the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It's one of the biggest wine producing regions in Italy with Veneto and Emilio Romagna the only two Italian regions that produce more. In all, the island has an impressive 134,000 hectares under vine although this area is shrinking year by year. This region produces a wide range of wines, both table and dessert wines and the grapes most famously grown there are the Nero d’Avola and Catorrato varietals. Nerello Mascalese is used to make the Etna Rosso DOC wine from the volcanic Mt Etna and Frappato is a the main grape of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.

Sicily is blessed with the most favorable climate. The summers are hot and it hardly rains, and the winters are not that cold and frost is rare. The Mediterranean climate is ideal for growing wine grapes as the coastal winds drying out grapes overnight. Because of the warm and relatively dry climate, there are less risk of rot and mildew among the grapes, so chemical sprays are rarely used. The soil of Sicily is rocky and enriched with minerals that absorb the heat during the day and release it at night, which helps the grape vines maintain an even temperature while the air around it gets cooler.