Tenute Ballasanti Sicilia Nerello Mascalese, Sicily, Italy

Lifted cherry, wild raspberry, crushed herbs, and volcanic minerality rise from the glass with freshness and tension. 2022 Tenute Ballasanti Sicilia Nerello Mascalese reflects the energy of Mount Etna’s eastern slopes, combining organically farmed old vines, volcanic soils, and restrained cellar work into a wine shaped by both elevation and Mediterranean warmth. Its balance of bright fruit, savory earth, and refined structure speaks to an estate rooted in multigenerational farming and a renewed commitment to Etna viticulture.

Product Details:

• Owners & Winemakers: Manuela Seminara, Fabio Gualandris
• Grapes: Nerello Mascalese
• Farming: Organically farmed vineyards
• Vineyard Source: Estate vineyards in the Ricciari Ciappari district of Giarre
• Soil: Volcanic soils rich in potassium and iron
• Vine Training: Bush vines with three shoots
• Harvest Method: Hand harvested in late September
• Fermentation: Temperature-controlled stainless steel with extended skin contact
• Malolactic Fermentation: Conducted in wood
• Aging: Minimum 6 months in stainless steel and barrique
• ABV: 14%

Sensory Description:

The wine opens with red cherry, raspberry, red currant, and crushed rose petal layered with subtle smoke, earth, and mineral tones. The palate is medium-bodied and finely structured, combining vibrant acidity with polished tannins and a savory volcanic edge. Blackberry, dried herbs, and gentle spice emerge through the mid-palate, while the finish remains persistent, lifted, and quietly earthy with notable freshness and mineral persistence.

Winemaker’s Background:

Tenute Ballasanti was formed when Manuela Seminara and her husband Fabio Gualandris returned to the Etna property where Manuela grew up after careers abroad in engineering and astrophysics. They united the family’s scattered vineyard holdings into a single estate and built a modern cellar focused on expressing the character of their historic vines and volcanic landscape. The vineyards in Giarre were originally planted by Manuela’s great-grandfather Don Lorenzo, who sold fruit to French buyers during the phylloxera era, while later generations expanded and preserved the family property. Today the estate covers approximately 25 hectares, including 7.5 hectares of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, all farmed organically among citrus groves, olives, figs, chestnuts, and other traditional Mediterranean plantings on Mount Etna’s eastern slope.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius in a Burgundy or universal wine glass to highlight aromatic detail and volcanic complexity. Pair with roast lamb, grilled eggplant, mushroom dishes, tomato-based pasta, game birds, or aged pecorino. The wine’s acidity and savory structure also make it particularly well suited to Mediterranean cuisine.