White
Carricante
The white of Etna, grown on volcanic terraces on the eastern and northern flanks, often above seven hundred metres. It gives very high acid, a lean citrus and green apple character and a smoky, stony finish, and it ages for a decade or more in a way few southern Italian whites manage.
Worth knowing
Its acidity is high enough that malolactic fermentation, usually avoided in aromatic whites, is often encouraged here simply to make the wine approachable. Etna Bianco Superiore has to come from the commune of Milo on the eastern slope, which is the wettest side of the mountain.
Where it is allowed1 appellation