At Terre Nere vinification is simple, classic, and Burgundian in
technique. Alcoholic fermentation and maceration on the skins last from
10 to 15 days; malolactic fermentation and maturation are carried out
in oak (25% new). After 18 months the wine is bottled without
filtering. The Terre Nere vineyards are located at extremely high
altitudes, ranging from 2100-2900 feet above sea level. The weather at
such high altitudes--hot direct sunlight but cool shade and cold
nights--makes the wines of Etna extraordinarily fine and elegant,
devoid of the heat and overripe sensations that overwhelmingly define
"Southern" wines. (As a rule of thumb, the ripening of red grapes above
3200 feet is extremely uncertain; these are the highest altitude red
grapes in the old world!) A portion of Terre Nere's vines are
pre-phylloxera; the rest are about 40-50 years old. The trellessing is
"en goblet" or self standing. The grapes are harvested at the end of
October (making it the second to last harvest in all of Italy, after
Aglianico), which is a risky in and of itself: the weather always
breaks before the harvest, endangering the grapes at their most
delicate stage. |
