Our approach can be summed up like this.
We only cultivate traditional varieties indigenous to Mount Etna and aim to respect local traditions as well as the distinct characters of each vintage.
The land decides, not us.
We believe that only by listening carefully and responding to the expressions of Nature in our territory can great wines be born.
Great because true.
We are situated on the North slope of Mount Etna at Passopisciaro, an area where viticulture goes back several thousand years.
Our vineyards are to be found at an altitude of between 600 and 1,100 metres above sea level Planting density ranges between 6,000 and 10,000 vines per hectare. Some of the vines are on their own roots, that is to say are ungrafted.
The local varieties that we exclusively cultivate are: red grapes Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio plus white grapes Carricante and Catarratto. Intervention of any kind is extremely limited, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.
We do not use herbicides so as not to alter the unique balance and vital energy of our land. We do not use barriques, but only vertical wooden 'tini' and large, well-seasoned wooden barrels.
Our sole obective is to reflect the personalities of our vineyards and the differences between each and every harvest.
Contrada Arcurìa - Passopisciaro
(alt. 600 metres)
Arcurìa is a single property at the heart of the Etna DOC measuring 25 hectares - at an altitude of between 600 and 660 metres. 18 hectares are currently planted to vines. Nerello Mascalese occupies 15 hectares, Carricante 1.5 and Catarratto 1.0. In part of the vineyard, the vines are spaced 80 centimetres apart in the rows and 2 metres between rows. The other part is ungrafted 'alberello' (bush vines) planted 1 metre apart, giving a total density of 10,000 per hectare.
Contrada Barbabecchi - Solicchiata
(alt. 1,000 metres)
This property lies at an altitude of between 1,000 and 1,100 metres. It contains 2 hectares of pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese planted circa 100 years ago. Naturally, these are ungrafted vines own their own roots. The remainder of the property is planted to Olives and Apples. At this altitude, we pick the grapes in November. This unbelievable spot allows us to cultivate the vines with zero treatment - not even Bordeaux Mixture. Barbabecchi gives us austere, magisterial wines of great depth.
The significant variations between one season and another and between onevineyard and another are the treasures of our territory. This variability, which Nerello Mascalese manages to interpret in an astonishing and chameleon-like manner, never ceases to amaze and thrill us. It stimulates us all the more to make wines which are true to and expressive of their real nature.
download photo and data sheets
Azienda Agricola GRACI
Contrada Arcuria, Passopisciaro
95012 Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) - Italia
info@graci.eu
