With the prospect of DOCG certification for the wines of Mount Etna on the horizon, one leading producer outlined why it thinks the change will help this Sicilian region to become a "great classic". Louis Thomas reports.
Standing for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, DOCG is considered the hallmark of a high quality wine from a particular place of origin.
However, although Sicily has the second highest vineyard area of any Italian region after Veneto with more than 95,000 hectares planted with vines according to Unicredit-Nomisma Wine Monitor, the Mediterranean's largest island currently has just one DOCG area – Cerasuolo di Vittoria, situated near its southern tip.
Etna itself gained the arguably less prestigious Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC, designation in 1968, making it the oldest DOC in Sicily, but now producers around this (very much active) volcano are gunning for the DOCG, with the application lodged back in late 2023.
Benanti background
At a tasting in London on Monday, Salvino Benanti, who runs the 35ha Etna estate Benanti alongside his twin brother Antonio, and Andrew Johnson, managing director of the winery's UK importer Woodwinter, made the case for an Etna DOCG.
"For me Etna is the last great wine region of Italy – we always talk about Piemonte and Tuscany, but now we talk about Etna in the same league," argued Johnson.
Compared to Barolo DOCG, which covers around 1,700ha, then Etna DOC seems comparatively small, at 1,200ha.
"Benanti is the most historically important producer, it put Etna on the map in the late 1980s," continued Johnson. "Often in Italy you have great red wine estates and great white wine estates, but Benanti is one of those which does both, it's in that pantheon."
Founded in 1988 by Benanti's father Giuseppe, Benanti Viticoltori now has vineyards in five contrade around the volcano, from Contrada Calderara Sottana on the north slope, down the eastern side, and to Contrada Cavaliere in the south.
"For a small region, Etna is quite complex – there are 133 contrade," explained Benanti. "A contrada is not equivalent to a French cru, they sometimes overlap with vineyards, even Catania airport has a contrada...each contrada has specific characteristics. We can generally say that the north is better for red grapes, the east for white, and the south and west better for both."
"Andrew [Johnson] said there'd be no Etna without Benanti, I don't want to brag, but it's true! My father lost a lot of money and persevered by investing his 'fortune' into fine wine from Etna. In the late 80s the focus on local grape varieties was still in an embryonic state – he focused on Carricante and Nerello Mascalese," Benanti continued.
He recalled a visit to Vinitaly with his father in the 1990s. Although as a teenager he was not allowed to taste the wines on show, he noted that there was a lack of interest in Etna. With a background in finance, Benanti would join the family business in his 30s.
Benanti observed just how much the reputation of Etna as a wine region has evolved since that first visit to Vinitaly more than three decades ago: "Today it is much easier to be a producer on Etna - we are sold out, we can allocate the wines, we organise a trade lunch and people show up!"
The winery produces around 250,000 bottles per year, ranging from its metodo classico wines (of which just 2,000 bottles are produced each year) to its icon Etna Rosso (Serra della Contessa), Rosso Riserva (Rovittello) and Bianco Superiore (Pietra Marina) expressions. Two-thirds of its total production is exported, with the US market buying up the lion's share.
DOCG deliberation
Benanti observed that, despite the growing popularity of Etna wines, it is a challenge for brands, especially those from regions which do not have that DOCG sticker wrapped around the bottlenecks, to break into new markets.
"Travelling around the world, I see the same 20 names on every wine list - it's difficult to trust new producers," he said. "The challenge for Etna is to become a great classic you can trust."
"If we want to be considered on a par with Barolo or Brunello, we need to behave in the same way - soil analysis, weather stations in the vineyard," he continued. "My father's background is in science, mine is in finance, I used to live in London – my twin brother and I are numbers people, we looked at the numbers, product positioning, exports, proper hospitality. In the last 22 years my brother and I have been mostly busy organising things, but with one thing in mind – to keep my father's legacy and keep the distinctive volcanic character of our wines: whites high in acidity and elegant, reds more floral, stay away from new oak. There are bigger wines on Etna which impress more on the first sip, but my brother says the last glass from the bottle should be the best."
He then joked that were he to become a dictator, he would outlaw blending grapes, new oak and oxidation: "I would make a lot of enemies!"
Although Benanti said that the winery has "self-imposed" certain restrictions to improve the quality of its wines, such as lower yields in the vineyard and longer ageing in the cellar, he acknowledged that making these legal requirements as a consequence of DOCG creation would come at a cost.
"It will become more expensive to make wine: you have to hold the wine in the cellar, you can only release a contrada-designated wine two years after harvest, you need more barrels and more cellar space, so you need broad shoulders to deal with the cost, but you will be able to add a few Euros to the final price," he said.
As for his response to winegrowers and winemakers whose feathers may be ruffled by the reforms, Benanti bluntly posited: "If you can't keep up, too bad. We have to have excellence in mind and proceed in that direction."
However, later on he suggested something of a compromise.
Benanti shared that the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, which must approve the DOCG application, seems positive that it will come through, and added that he sees the DOCG as the first in a two-part process to move the region in the right direction: "The first step will be to elevate the entire appellation to DOCG, and then create a sub-appellation to include entry level wines for producers to fall back on if they don't want to stick to the rules that DOCG will imply."
It is difficult to ascertain when the change may be approved – clearing the bureaucratic hurdles is not a quick process – but given that the DOCG application was submitted more than a year ago, and with the weight of many heavyweight Etna producers behind it, it could well be sooner rather than later.
Consolidation
Benanti envisaged that some of the established wine giants from the Italian mainland could well see fit to invest in Etna: "If I were a large producer from Tuscany or Veneto, I'd go to Etna and buy 10 small growers and create a brand."
He estimated that there are more than 200 winegrowers on Etna, and said that many rely on sharing winery space and winemaking equipment.
"I believe it is better to join forces and work together than to have a sea of 100s and 100s of producers," he said, though he did not make any reference to Benanti having plans to buy up other growers.
If DOCG status is granted, then Mount Etna may well become an even more enticing investment prospect, though it may be wise to buy land now before the seemingly-inevitable price spike comes.
