Description

After a century of oblivion and a decade of showing “great promise,” Etna is now officially Italy’s hottest wine place. Investment is pouring in as are tourist buses, and wine critics are running out of superlatives. Is it all deserved, or is Etna merely a fashion? I travelled to the volcano thrice to find out, visiting all leading estates to talk about terroir and vinification and tasting nearly 400 wines in the process.

I came back utterly convinced that Etna is big, but will be even bigger. Indeed, with everything that’s been achieved, the sense of enthusiasm and anticipation is palpable. This report, the most comprehensive of its kind in English, is a critical look at the current state of things and the future potential on Europe’s highest active volcano and Italy’s highest vinous hope.

An overview of Etna’s history, terroir, winemaking, and current issues is followed by tasting notes of the Top 50 (actually, sixty-three) best wines, as well as scores on nearly 400, including from the latest 2022 vintage.

Wojciech Bońkowski MW