The Wine Gods of Etna

The vines on Etna's slopes are among the oldest in Europe. Long before Homer placed the one-eyed giant Polyphemus in a cave on Etna — long before the Greeks brought the wine god Dionysus and planted Sicily's first vineyard — the Sicels who lived here worshipped Adranus, the wine god of Etna. Today the tradition of making wine from Etna's volcanic soil is bequeathed to the producers working these slopes. A certified sommelier leads a private masterclass in a tasting room in central Catania. She introduces you to seven Etna DOC wines from a single producer, chosen to map the volcano: Etna Bianco, Etna Bianco Superiore, Etna Rosato, Etna Rosso, and three single-contrada reds — including a pre-phylloxera Piede Franco from ungrafted vines over 100 years old, planted in soil the volcano has been laying down for millennia. The wines carry the mineral depth and tension that volcanic soil gives. They're paired with Sicilian charcuterie and cheese that echo the salinity and fruit in the glass.

Etna is one of the few places on Earth where wine is grown on the slopes of an active volcano. Marina's masterclass explains how its six contrade — Etna's officially recognized single-vineyard zones — are spread over three communes (Castiglione di Sicilia, Randazzo, and Milo), each with its own soil, elevation, and microclimate — bringing something different to the glass. The grapes are native to the mountain: Carricante gives the whites salinity and cut, while Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio give the reds tannin and lift. In the late 1800s, phylloxera destroyed most of Europe's vineyards. But phylloxera cannot survive in sandy volcanic soil. The 100-year-old ungrafted vines — including one in Marina's flight — were never lost. The Sicilian charcuterie and cheeses alongside them — some from Slow Food presidia which protect endangered artisanal products and heritage techniques — are sourced from small-scale farms Marina knows directly, chosen to draw out what is in the glass.

Marina Finocchiaro is a sommelier. After nine years in London hospitality, she returned to Sicily in 2023 to bring her experience back home, welcoming guests to Etna through its wines. She leads tastings in Italian and English, translating the volcano's geology and the character of its contrade into something you can taste and remember — pouring not only wine but the stories of the mountain and the people who make it. She makes complex terroir feel personal and approachable. The Catania tasting room is Sicily's first dedicated urban tasting room for Etna wines, designed to bring the Etna wine experience into the city — no drive up the mountain required. It is the first step in a broader Etna wine hub — a project connecting tasting, culture, and hospitality. The wines poured here are made in a small estate in Castiglione di Sicilia, from native grapes grown in the black volcanic soil of Etna's northern slope.

Just an appetite and a willingness to slow down. The tasting is seated and indoors, so no special clothing is needed.