Reflections: Con I Fratelli Foti

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Simone Foti and vignaiolo Gianni Lonetti (crouching), from Cirò, Calabria admire the I Vigneri pruning methods.

In September of 2022, I headed to Mt. Etna for a master-class tasting of wines from Versante Est (East Face). The eastern side of Mt. Etna is dominated by the Etna Bianco Superiore designation as the Milo commune is the only area that can produce the Superiore version. The Superiore in this case does indeed give the wine a bit of “superior” status. Milo is historically known for its white wines–red grapes have difficulty growing in this part of the region, and the soil composition is different from the rest of Etna.

At the time of this tasting, I already had an Etna harvest and multiple visits under my belt, thinking myself an expert and knowing who made the best of the best on the Volcano. This particular experience at the master class, however, turned my preconceptions inside out, a testament to the dynamism and the ever-changing landscape of Mt. Etna.

Etna is full of big names, one such being Salvo Foti and his I Vigneri project. I have always been a fan of Salvo and his philosophies: his insistence of the alberello vine-training system (a free vine-training system with a high planting density, a tradition from the ancient Greek colonies); minimal intervention in the cellar (no chemicals or additions, minimal use of sulfur, and no filtration); and later, his focus on native grape varieties. When I Vigneri first came onto the American market, they were some of the first Italian wines to enter the “natural wine” discourse.

I Vigneri takes its name from an association that existed in the region in 1435: Maestranzi dei Vigneri, an association of vineyard workers in eastern Sicily. Today, I Vigneri is a collaboration between Salvo Foti, local vine experts, and grape growers. The Vigneri do all the work that needs to be done in the vineyards throughout the year: plant, prune, graft, and repair the dry lava stone terraces. The group’s primary goal, of course, is the organization and preservation of Mt. Etna’s and eastern Sicily’s wine heritage.

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For me personally, Foti’s wines changed my career trajectory. From the moment I tasted them and learned about his work, I shifted my focus to the promotion and sale of wines made by vignaioli who work organically (and beyond) in the vineyard, practice minimal intervention in the cellar, and who invest in their local communities.

Yet, along the way, something happened; I can’t quite tell you what exactly, but I lost interest in the wines. Certainly not the work behind them, as I discovered other winemaking projects involving Foti’s I Vigneri that I enjoyed tremendously. Was it the worldwide explosion of Mt. Etna and Sicilian wines on the market that pulled my attention away from the wines? Or did the wines really lose their once distinct character?

So, when I Vigneri presented the 2020 Vigna di Milo Etna Bianco Superiore back in September, I didn’t have high expectations–but after my first sip, I cocked my head, squinted my eyes, and immediately turned to my left and my right–I wanted to catch the faces of my friends, both winemakers on Etna. They both had the same reaction; the wine had surprised them too.

There was a finesse we had never noticed in them before. The acidity was bright, the quintessential but subtle petrol note from an aged carricante was present, and the salinity of the Milo cru was unmistakable. It was truly everything I look for in a wine: true to the flavor profile of the grape, expressive of its terroir, and yet still unique with a hallmark of the producer. This was not the wine of I Vigneri past. What changed?

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A few weeks ago, I embarked on yet another trip to Etna (I just can’t stay away). After my revelatory experience at the September tasting, I wanted to visit the I Vigneri estate to meet the new enologists, Simone and Andrea Foti. Simone and Andrea naturally followed in their father’s footsteps and have taken over production at the winery. “Our dad never forced us to work in the family business,” Simone says. “He always encouraged us to follow our own interests.” Simone attended the prestigious wine school of Beaune, in Burgundy, and continued his viticulture experience in Burgundy, Loire, Champagne, and Jura.

The converted palmento (traditional winemaking structure) is now the I Vigneri tasting room, complete with a stomping (pressing) area, fermentation vats carved out of volcanic rock, and a large, corkscrew-like press.

Andrea, the younger of the two, attended the State University of Milan, graduating in viticulture and oenology. While both are certified enologists, Simone’s joy and expertise lie in the vineyards, and Andrea’s in the cantina (winery), making them the perfect duo for the job.

With the Fratelli Foti at the helm of I Vigneri, the wines are finding new life. They have upheld the ethos and maintained the practices of their father, but also bring in their own personal experience and taste. Their wines are multifaceted and layered, and I am certainly not the only one who has noticed this advancement in quality and character as the higher-end cru and old-vine bottlings become more strictly allocated.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we’re fortunate to have recently received a shipment of three Foti wines: the 2020 Vigna del Milo Etna Bianco Superiore, the 2021 Etna Rosso, and the 2021 Aurora Etna Bianco. To learn more about these stellar bottlings, come visit us at the shop. I’m always happy to chat about i Foti and their fascinating wine.

— Emilia Aiello

/0 Comments/by Paul Marcus Wines

Why We Love: Wines from Etna

Etna is a special wine region. Actually, it is a magical region in many ways and has so much to offer beyond wine. Much of my interest and affection for Etna is due to Ciro and Stef Biondi, who were gracious enough to take me in for the 2018 harvest. In fact, the Biondi family (alongside Marc de Grazia, the Benanti family, and the late Andrea Franchetti) deserves much credit for Etna’s winemaking revival.

Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, is located on the island of Sicily in the province of Catania, and Etna wines are grown on the slopes of the volcano. Locals often refer to Mount Etna as Mongibello (“beautiful mountain” in Sicilian dialect) or, simply, Mamma Etna. Mongibello also happens to be the scientific term referring to the most current layer of ash and lava caused by Etna’s eruptions dating from 15,000 years ago to the present day.

The History

Etna has been a central hub for quality wine production and research for longer than we realize. By the 13th century, Etna had established wineries or “commanderies” that were tended to by the Knights Hospitaller. These men were barons of the Catholic Crusades, and established themselves in the area for centuries.

The winemaking tradition persisted, and in the 18th century, the powerful and well-traveled Spitaleri family brought back French winemaking techniques. For generations, the family practiced these newer methods, elevating the otherwise high-yielding Etna vines to a status that rivaled Champagne and Bordeaux. This assertion is not an exaggeration; in the 1800s, this Etna family would bring back first-place prizes for their sparkling wines, outdoing their French counterparts at world expositions and trade fairs.

Etna’s reputation as a quality wine-producing area, with old-vine production on volcanic soils, blew up in the early 2000s. (Appropriate imagery, right?) It happened fast, and all at once. Producers have hustled to keep up with the production and quality standards that the export market continues to ferociously demand.

Despite its recent success, Etna is still an experimental hub. True to the region’s history, present-day winemakers experiment with different vinification and maturation methods–often with “minimal intervention,” a term that has become synonymous with the natural wine movement.

The Land

The region’s soils are … volcanic. Seems obvious, but what is not so obvious is that a volcano releases a different mineral, rock, and gas composition every time it erupts. Mamma Etna is still active and erupts often, naturally fertilizing the entire Etna area. Etna is also classified as a stratovolcano, which means it is a conical volcano, built up by many layers or “strata” that scientists date and name. After more than 100,000 years of eruptions from different volcanic systems, one can only imagine just how complex the Etna geology is. Despite its natural mystery, there are some specific clues when we taste Etna wines that lead us to certain zones of the volcano.

The three major classifications of Etna’s volcanic history are the Ellittico, Mongibello, and the Milo systems. Ellittico is the oldest of the three, encompassing eruptions from more than 15,000 years ago. Being older, these Ellittico soils are typically under the younger Mongibello strata. There are, however, some areas where the Ellittico soil is exposed: Randazzo in the north and Biancavilla in the south. Wines from vines grown on Ellittico in the north tend to be higher-toned, or “nervy,” meaning that the acid is higher, the fruit brighter, and the minerality more pronounced. Wines from Ellittico in the south have a similar mineral depth and energy, but are more concentrated in fruit–the sun favors the south side, and the vines pump out extra-ripe grapes.

The Etna DOC was established in 1968. It’s surprising it has not yet reached DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status because of its ever-growing reputation and demand for the wine. It could happen–the Etna Consorzio in the last few years has already taken strides to regulate production, and there has been some buzz of “upgrading” the denomination. For now, it remains a Denominazione di Origine Controllata. The production zone also has altitude delimitations (400-1000 meters above sea level), and a winemaker producing an Etna Rosso can only use grapes that are grown within this altitude range.

The Grapes

Etna has always been home to an assortment of grape varietals (some of which certain winemakers are committed to cultivating despite the fact that they cannot make the wine under the Etna DOC label). Etna, like the rest of Sicily and the Mediterranean, has a multi-cultural heritage, so it is not uncommon to find, say, grenache (brought over by the Aragons) still growing on its slopes.

Today, the mainstay red grape of Etna is nerello mascalese, even though this grape doesn’t show up in historical documents until the 18th century (where it is referred to as “negrello”). The late mention is probably due to the fact that the peasant population cultivated this varietal and had virtually no access to the historical record. Nerello produces stylish, complex wines with brilliant fruit, notable freshness, and a mineral edge. Carricante, the leading white grape, makes dry, structured wines with flinty, herbal notes.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we’ve been Etna aficionados from the beginning, and we continue to enjoy long, thriving relationships with a number of the region’s top producers. Benanti, with vineyards to the north, south, and east of the volcano, creates wines of tremendous finesse and refinement. Graci, in contrast, tends to offer wines of great concentration and depth. Then there’s Girolamo Russo, a producer who offers the best of both worlds. Finally, we have Marc de Grazia’s Terre Nere, one of the pioneers of the Etna renaissance.

Thanks to the versatility of the grapes, the diversity of winemaking styles, and distinctive terroir, Etna wines are quite well-suited to a wide range of foods and personal palates. To learn more about these Burgundian-style, elegant, and age-worthy wines, visit us at the shop.

— Emilia Aiello

/0 Comments/by Paul Marcus Wines

Why We Love: The Sicilian Way

There is something very unassuming about the intricacies of Sicily, given its vast, arid landscape, rustic way of life, and history as a cultural crossroads. The people of this island, situated at Italy’s southern tip, take enormous pride in the simple and beautiful treasures that the land has to offer.

View overlooking Cefalù

It is hard to find another place that has been impacted by such a wide array of cultural influences: Phoenicians, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Romans, Spanish, British, and French among them. Over time, these influences have helped spawn some of Italy’s most cherished agricultural products. Their olive oils, from several different parts of the island, are regarded as some of the finest around. World-class chocolates hail from Modica, and Sicilian nuts are highly prized as well, especially the pistachio, hazelnut, and pine nut (actually a seed). Of course, the wines of Sicily are no exception.

Mount Etna, located in the northeast, is an active volcano that is home to a diverse range of vineyards, some of them planted as high as 1,000 meters up the slopes. These infertile basalt soils are rich in magnesium and iron, which provide little organic matter for the vines. This produces low yields and higher-quality grapes. 

The red nerello mascalese grape is king in this region, exhibiting characteristics of both nebbiolo and pinot noir, while typically boasting some serious structure and rusticity. Carricante is the focus of mineral-driven Etna Bianco, while catarratto, inzolia, minella bianca, grecanico, chardonnay, and other local varieties are sometimes called on to round out the blend. At Paul Marcus Wines, we’re fortunate to work with some of Etna’s most esteemed producers, including Girolamo Russo, Terre Nere, Benanti, and Graci.

The Val di Noto, in the island’s southeastern region, is home to some of my absolute favorite wines on the planet. Vittoria is famous for its blend of frappato and nero d’avola, called Cerasuolo di Vittoria. These wines can offer an amazing balance of freshness, aromatic complexity, and red-toned earthiness that just screams “Sicilia.”

A somewhat newer producer to me, from the town of Pachino just south of Siracusa, is Mortellito. I’ve quickly come to appreciate Mortellito’s wines for their transparency and honesty. There is a rosso made mostly from frappato, with a touch of nero d’avola. It is bright, yet rustic, and not overly floral like frappato can be for some palates. They also make a couple of white wines, including one–comprised mostly of grillo with a bit of catarratto–that reminds me of melons and citrus zest, with a pistachio earthiness and a solid backbone of acidity.

 

 

COS is a winery in Vittoria that was started in 1980 by three friends. Forty years on, their wines have endured; in fact, I feel like they’re making some of their best wines as of late. Their frappato is a jewel, with a bit more depth than most. COS is quite well known for the wines they make in pithos, or amphora–terracotta vessels buried in the ground to age wines before bottling. These wines, just like Mortellito’s, have an amazing freshness and lift for wines grown in such a warm climate. Thank you, white, limestone-rich soils! 

 

 

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In the late spring of 2017, my family and I traveled to this uniquely gorgeous locale. So much of the island feels as though you’ve stepped back in time–at least a generation, if not two or three.

I still remember our stay above the picturesque northern coastal town of Cefalù, where we floated in the serene waters of the Mediterranean with our young daughter. (I could really go for that right about now.) The Arab-Norman cathedral in the town square is a real jaw-dropper, too. I also recall spending a late afternoon, bleeding into early evening, on our rooftop terrace in Ortigia, sipping Graci’s Etna Bianco and Russo’s Etna Rosato all the while.

One of my fondest memories was our visit to winemaker Ciro Biondi in Trecastagni, a small town on the southeast side of Mount Etna–an absolute gem of an experience. It was a hot day, not too uncommon in these parts, and we slowly navigated our way up the narrow roads. When we finally arrived, Ciro greeted us with such warmth and took us on a walk to the vineyard just above his house. 

The house was once a palmento–these were traditional winemaking structures, usually just one big room or so, that housed the area for the grapes to be received from the vineyards, then pressed and gravity-fed into its next vessel (concrete, wood, or terracotta). We spent an hour or two tasting a few of his wines on his patio, complete with outdoor kitchen, in the middle of his vineyard. He took us back down to his house and made us pasta for lunch–noodles made from local grains, breadcrumbs, a bit of garlic, fennel fronds, and lots of Etna olive oil. 

Just a few humble ingredients of the utmost quality to make a dish shine: the true Sicilian way.

/0 Comments/by Jason Seely