The I Vigneri project - named after a Sicilian Vintner’s Guild founded in 1435 - consists of 30 hectares of vines planted at 700 metres above sea level on the north side of Mount Etna near the town of Calderara. The project is led by Salvo Foti who works with a number of local growers to produce traditionally crafted, organic wines from old vines grown on volcanic and sandy soils. No herbicides or pesticides are used in the wine making process and all the grapes are hand-harvested. Fermentation takes place in open vats, without the use of yeast inoculation, enzymes or thermal control and the wines are bottled without fining nor filtration. Vinupetra is a blend of the indigenous Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grapes with a splash of Alicante from a tiny 0.85ha vineyard and is aged in French barriques.
A vibrant cherry-red in colour. Aromas of ripe plums and cherry fruit aromas with pronounced stony notes. In the mouth, fresh and focused with bright tannins and a real depth leading to a lengthy and fragrant finish. Brilliant food wine. Try with chickpea fritters, Sicilian Peporanata or tuna fillets marinated in white wine, lemon juice and olive oil.