category: You Thought Volcanoes Were Just For Destruction…

from: Etna, Italy

grapes: nerello mascalese

One minute you’re just sitting in the courtyard of your villa in Pompeii all quiet and peaceful, and the next minute, BAM! Mount Vesuvius is spewing ash and lava like nobody’s business. And then you’re running in crazed desperation as the pyroclastic flow vaporizes everything in its path.  So, yeah, not a fan erupting volcanoes. Imagine my surprise when I found out that some crazy good red wines are being made from grapes grown on the slopes of a constantly smoking ACTIVE volcano in Sicily named Mt Etna. The Nerello Mascalese grown on the slopes of this sleeping monster are the star of Tenuta Di Fessina’s gorgeous red wine called Erse. This particular grape is only grown in Sicily (but is genetically linked to one of Italy’s most revered grapes: Sangiovese) and produces a fresh, fruity, earthy, and fun red wine that is absolutely swoon-worthy. Okay okay okay, so maaaaybe volcanoes aren’t always about destruction; perhaps I need to learn to embrace the creative potential of these geologic marvels. Or maybe that tasting note that I can’t quite put my finger on is fear itself.