Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Barbazzale - Interesting Wine from Mt. Etna

Inexpensive wines from the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily are not easy to come by in our area. I have found a red that I like and that is made from two Sicilian grapes. It is Cottanera's 2013 Barbazzale, which I found for $13.99 at Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Petersburg.

The Italian wine classification is Etna DOC Rosso (red). It is made from 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, both grown in the Aurora Vineyards at about 2,300 feet above sea level on the northern slopes of Mt. Etna.

Volcanic soils like those around Mt. Etna are good for wine grapes. The poor quality of the soil requires the plants to grow deep roots, which make for stronger plants. You can find a nice explanation of this question at: http://vinepair.com/wine-blog/why-does-bad-soil-make-for-great-wine/

We have a bit of an emotional attachment to Etna wines because we enjoyed a delightful visit to the area, including to the Murgo Winery at the base of the volcano.

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