THE SOLUTION FOR SICILIAN TERROIR ACCORDING TO PLANETA: THE COMPANY KNOWN FOR ITS SICILIAN SAMBUCA MOVES TO ETNA WITH GOAL OF CREATING A BIG WHITE WINE TO BE AGED

Planeta, one of the most important names in Italian winemaking, has arrived on Mount Etna. The company recently bought an estate in one of the most fascinating areas on the varied island of Sicily, further enriching its “travels” throughout the most evocative terroirs of the island. It was a fatiguing, but much desired acquisition because, Diego Planeta explains, “we have been scouring the area around Etna for at least five years in search of the right spot, and finally we have found it with Contrada Santo Spirito, between Randazzo and Passopisciano”.

The estate is located on the northern slopes of Etna, close to the estate of Tuscan Tenuta di Trinoro owner, Andrea Franchetti. It is 870 meters above sea level, and the area has proved itself ideal for red grape varieties like Nerello Mascalese. And for Alessio Planeta it also “represents an ideal place to put whites to the test, which in Italy are mostly undervalued. We want to make a big white that is tasty and minerally, not passed in wood, but to be aged”.
The acquisition includes a small wine cellar to be readapted, and 10 hectares of land, of which 8-9 will be planted with vineyards. The grape varieties are being chosen with the aid of professor Attilio Scienza, but they will predominantly be Carricante, Riesling, and other white varieties.

This acquisition moves the “area of action” of Planeta (that traditionally works in southern Sicily covering the areas of Sambuca, Menfi, Vittoria and Noto) towards Etna, at this point considered one of the most intriguing areas on the island.

”Actually”, explains Alessio Planeta, “there isn’t anything in Santo Spirito. There’s only perfectly exposed terrain, as black as coal, surrounded by recent lava flows, and this is where we will begin to plant this year, hoping to obtain the first harvest no earlier than 10 years from now”.
The investment cost the company 500,000 euros, not including costs of restructuring and vineyard planting, which, on Etna, considered an area of mountain or “heroic” viticulture, are notoriously high.