VignadiMilo Caselle Etna Bianco Superiore DOC 2022

Wine Description for VignadiMilo Caselle Etna Bianco Superiore DOC 2022 by I Vigneri di Salvo Foti

Colour & Appearance

Powerful straw yellow, luminous and clear – a visual promise of concentration and altitude.

Nose

Unusually contemplative for a young white wine. Rather than upfront fruit, a herbal infusion unfolds, revealing chamomile, tarragon and woodruff. Lurking beneath lies the volcanic signature of Etna: delicate roasted, smoky notes reminiscent of cold ash. Only on the second pass do peach and apricot kernels emerge – restrained, almost meditative.

Palate

Here the true nature of this wine reveals itself: stillness rather than noise, depth rather than surface. The attack flows gently, carried by an invigorating bitter framework of powdery fine tannins – unusual for a white wine, but characteristic of traditionally aged Carricante. The acidity acts discreetly, profound minerality dominates. White peach, green apricot and lemon oil remain subtle, whilst a saline core threads through the fine-knit texture. Lightly oxidative in the best sense – complex, not fatiguing.

Finish

Stony-cool, saline, with vibrant energy. The bitter phenolics extend the linear flow impressively. A wine that resonates, rather than insists.

Terroir & Origin

From the Contrada Caselle above Milo at 750 metres altitude. Old, ungrafted vines in the traditional Alberello system, cultivated on volcanic soil. The extreme manual labour – from land reclamation to the maintenance of dry stone walls (Muretto Assecco) – is not folklore here, but necessity.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pure Carricante from Sélection Massale. Whole-bunch pressing, natural sedimentation, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in 2,000-litre wooden barrels. Twelve months ageing in wood with minimal sulphiting. Bottling in May of the second year – a wine that requires time and gives it back.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Grilled swordfish, Pasta con le Sarde, pan-fried porcini mushrooms, medium-aged goat’s cheese, Vitello Tonnato. The bitter structure demands substance, not delicacy.

Special Features

Salvo Foti’s I Vigneri – named after the historic winegrowers‘ association of 1435 – preserve not merely vines, but an entire cultural landscape. This wine is „Human-Wine“ in the finest sense: testimony to a craftsmanship that creates identity.