By Darya Nagornyak IWA
Blind Etna Tastings and the Barolo Surprise
The third day of our Etna Wine Tour was packed and dedicated to various masterclasses. The event began with a more than promising start: a tasting of Etna wines from various producers from the 2015 vintage. The wines were tasted blind, and the organizers set a little trap for us: one of the wines in the comparison set was a Barolo! Indeed, many parallels and similarities can be drawn between these wines.
We saw how Nerello Mascalese can develop and how different it becomes over the years, depending on the site and the producer.
The next winery was Planeta and their wonderful Chardonnay.
Benchmark Whites and Age-Worthy Verdicchio
Planeta is a family-owned winery from Sicily with a rich history dating back over 500 years and spanning 17 generations. The family has a long history of farming, and the company’s modern winemaking began in 1995. Chardonnay is one of Planeta’s most famous and significant white wines, becoming something of a benchmark for Sicilian Chardonnay. During this masterclass, we were also able to trace the wine’s development, comparing the 2010 vintage with younger ones—2022 and 2023. Incredible differences, evolution, and potential.
Let’s take a break from Sicily, and the next masterclass takes us to the Marche region.
Villa Bucci was one of the pioneers in elevating Verdicchio to the level of high-quality and prestigious white wines, proving that this indigenous variety is capable of producing not only fresh young wines but also complex, structured, and mature examples. Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is one of the finest white wines in Italy. It is said that Bucci’s Verdicchio can age for 10-20 years, and we were certainly convinced of this. The Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2001 won our hearts. Despite its advanced age, the wine was in incredible shape and showed signs of continuing to develop in the bottle.
The next producer we met was Dei Principi di Spadafora.
Indigenous Varieties, Olive Oil Mastery, and a Gala Celebration
Dei Principi di Spadafora is a family-owned winery in Sicily, owned by the ancient Spadafora noble family, whose history dates back to 1230. The foundation of the modern winemaking business was laid by Don Pietro dei Principi di Spadafora, who inherited the land from his uncle and began restoring the vineyards after the devastating earthquake of 1968. Dei Principi di Spadafora presented us with several of their labels and various vintages of Nero d’Avola.
The final wine masterclass was dedicated to the Cerasuolo di Vittoria region.
Tenuta Valle delle Ferle is a small family-run winery located within the historic DOCG zone of Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The winery was founded in 2016 by husband and wife team Claudia Sciacca and Andrea Annino, who have invested their resources and passion in creating wines that reflect the region’s traditions, local terroir, and indigenous varieties grown using organic practices. Tenuta Valle delle Ferle harmoniously blends tradition and modern winemaking, focusing on naturalness, respect for the land, and sustainable development. The wines are vibrant, juicy, and energetic.
And for dessert, a true discovery for us: an olive oil tasting masterclass. Yes, in Italy you can’t go anywhere without olive oil. Olive oil tasting wasn’t as simple as it seemed, and professional tasters revealed all the intricacies of the process to us. The experience was truly fascinating, memorable, and different.
The evening concluded with a wonderful gala dinner, during which we shared our impressions and learned all the secrets from those behind the production of the variety of wonderful wines we had the opportunity to taste and appreciate.
Thank you Vinitaly International Academy for such a wonderful experience!
This was the second day of our trip to Etna. Read about the first two days, and stay tuned for the upcoming blogs.
Learn more about the Vinitaly International Academy and listen to our guest hosts’ interviews with their favorite producers here.
