Due Terre 2020 Nerello Mascalese

The Wine

Man, is Nerello Mascalese having a moment or what!?

As one of the indigenous Sicilian grapes in the explosively popular wines of Mt Etna, it is appreciated by wine lovers for its ability to reflect the unique characteristics of its vineyard source. When grown on the volcanic slopes of Mt Etna, its wines are taut and fresh, featuring flavors of fruit, dried herbs, excellent minerality and earthy aromatics that remind one of the noble wines from Barolo and Burgundy.

But the grape takes on a softer, more approachable character when grown at lower elevation and in sandy soils like you'll find in vineyards on the Island's Southwest side. Which is where Due Terre gets the grapes for this wine. Their take on Narello Mascalese is still earthy, but is more akin to a lighter style of Rhône red blends - that is, more approachable tannins and aromatics of bright, tart red fruits, with a finish of wet earth. Serve chilled to cellar temperature - around 60 degrees.

The Winery

Due Terre Wines came into being as a collaboration among friends who believe Italian wines should be made from the indigenous grapes of Italy. The brand is known for wines that are delicious, affordable, well packaged, and certified organic.

Each wine is 100% pure varietal, crafted with minimal intervention so each wine can focus on the characteristics of the grape. The grapes that go into Due Terre wines come from family growers and there could not have been a better place than Sicily begin this project – the island has the largest number of organic vineyards in Italy and produces more grapes of quality than IGT and DOC bottlings. Sadly, demand is such that these high-quality grapes are often sold off as bulk wine, and the Due Terre project aims to preserve the purity of each grower's fruit in a varietal bottling like this one.

The Label

A quick word about Due Terre's labels - each one uses a drawing of the traditional marionettes used in the 'puppet operas' performed in the Opera dei Pupi (the roots of which stretch back to at least the 15th century). In Sicily, this form of opera uses wooden marionettes on strings and metal wires. Although the tradition is becoming less common, there is a movement dedicated to preserving this unique folk art.