If you’ve spotted quite a few Sicilian wines on our list, it’s not because we owe protection money to the mafia, it’s because we love their wines, especially the ones that come from the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna. This red is a collaboration between two legends of the Italian wine scene, Alberto Graci from Etna itself and Angelo Gaja from Barbaresco, and it somehow manages to bring a Piedmont sensibility to Etna’s indigenous Nerello Mascalese grape, evoking Nebbiolo-like aromas of loose tea, cherry skins and soft petals, but with Etna’s trademark smoky minerality and terracotta earthiness. It’s a wine for fans of delicate, ethereal, aromatic reds with a discreet yet confident structure. Drink now-2028.


Press reviews:

The Wine Advocate: “The Idda 2019 Etna Rosso shows depth, length and everything in between. This 2019 vintage benefits from a long and slow growing season, just what the native red grapes of Etna prefer. The spring season saw a lot of rain for ample water reserves, and the weather then transitioned to a dry but not too hot summer season. The late harvest helped to develop structure and linearity in the wine that you taste, thanks to bright fruit nuances of blackberry, plum and a touch of candied orange peel. The wine is light, vertical and otherwise void of any residual heaviness. It finishes with pretty accents of toasted nut and earthy terracotta. Drink now-2030.” 93 points

Vinous: “An initial burst of roses and dusty black cherries lifts from the 2019 Etna Rosso, giving way to sweet tea leaves, spiced orange peels, shavings of cedar and hints of smoke, creating a layered and remarkably pretty bouquet. Here I’m finding a pure display of Nerello Mascalese fruit, which gains richness as it sits in the glass, with mineral-tinged red berries carried a long a motivated core of vibrant acids under an air of inner florals. This tapers off delicate in feel, only lightly structured, and with medium length, leaving savoury hints of liquorice and plum. While fruit-centric, there’s a lot to like about the Idda Rosso. Drink now-2027.” 92 points

JancisRobinson.com: “Finely perfumed red fruit and stones on the nose. Succulent raspberry fruit with a sweet note that is hard to place but could be oak. Elegant, ripe and sweet red-fruit palate with gripping, gravelly tannins. Amazing depth of fruit and tannic grip on the finish. Drink now-2028.“ 16.5 points