Vini Scirto - All'Antica, Nerello Mascalese

Giuseppe Scirto and Valeria Franco operate Vini Scirto almost as one person, functioning in harmony to create some of the most terroir driven wines of Mount Etna. These two are the only workers of this winery - they follow the heritage of Giuseppe’s grandfather, stewarding 4 hectares of vineyards planted between 1900 and 1930 that were handed over to them in 2009. With no formal wine education, it is amazing how they are able to capture a snapshot of the North side of Etna through only sheer will and dedication to the vines. Choosing to operate with extreme minimalism in the cellar, Giuseppe and Valeria use the teachings of the Scirto family to guarantee their wines show the life of the vineyard no matter what a vintage throws at them. As they react to each year, the wines continue to climb towards the peak of what it means to make wine on Mount Etna.

"All’Antica rosato is one of my favorite rosatos ever. When asked on my birthday which wine I wanted to open (and being a partner in the business, technically any price and any wine was game), I chose this wine. Words will sell the wine short, but what I love is that only 150 cases are made of this wine and I feel like I’m tasting the ‘wine that once was’ of a zone. All’antica derives its name from the concept of exactly that." - Alessandro Pepe -