2017 Vini Scirto "Don Pippinu" Carricante, Sicily, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

“Don Pippinu” bianco, so named after Giuseppe’s grandfather, comes from a collection of vineyards growing at 600-1000 meters above sea level on deep volcanic soils, lending more structure and ageability to the wine. These sites are composed of old vines averaging 60 years in age, and among these are several white varieties. While carricante always makes up the vast majority of the “Don Pippinu” bianco, small percentages of minnella bianca, catarratto and grecanico are also harvested and included in the fermentation. Grapes are fermented by native yeasts with 3-5 days of maceration before a stainless steel elevage of 10 to 12 months. No fining or filtration takes place for this wine, and no sulfur is added prior to bottling.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The vineyards Giuseppe and Valeria work today belonged to Giuseppe’s grandparents, who produced bulk wine, “as everybody was doing on Etna until about 20 years ago,” Giuseppe points out. When Giuseppe’s grandfather, Don Pippinu, died in 2005, it was at a time when small vineyard owners on Etna had begun to sell off their holdings. “Ours were particularly requested because they are in a highly valued area. But I was very close to the vineyards because from a young age, I spent all my summers there together with my grandfather. Walking in those vineyards, I revived a memory. I could never sell to others the sacrifices of my grandfather, also because no price could repay a bond like that between me and him.”

“In 2009, we started to work the vineyards. 2010 was our first vintage. The idea from the first day was to work the vines and make the wine just like Grandpa did: with minimum intervention and zero chemistry. We did not study enology. Perhaps our own ‘ignorance’ initially allowed us to make this choice. Having a great passion, being connected with many other producers, and being self-educated has helped us to know more deeply the vines and the wine. In the vineyard and in the cellar, we work, just the two of us.”