Eduardo Torres Acosta, Versante Nord 2021

Versante Nord comes from two parcels - Pietramarina and Crasa which total 1.5 hectares - on the cooler, north-facing side of Mt. Etna, at an elevation ranging from 550 to 750 meters. Sandy, volcanic-ash-rich soils lie over a sedimentary mother rock.

Up to 80-year-old vines planted gobelet style, called albarello or ‘little tree’ locally. Like many old vineyards these are mixed plantings with some local varieties - red and white grapes interplanted. The reds include Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante Bouschet and Grenache, the whites include Minnella, Catarratto, Grecanico and Inzolia.

After spontaneous fermentation, with around 10% whole cluster in cement tanks and 15 days on skins, the wine is aged for 16 months in a 25hl Slavonian oak botte. Unfined and unfiltered.

Eduardo shot to fame through fellow Tenerife native Roberto Santana (Envínate), who strongly recommended him! We’re very happy to stock his wines as they turned out to be fresh and characterful possessing a true sense of place. Eduardo moved to Sicily in 2012 to work harvest as an intern at Arianna Ochippinti’s cellar in Vittoria. He now divides his time between working at Pasopisciaro and running his own project. He rents two hectares of vineyards on Etna, divided among three different plots, and vinifies everything at Arianna’s winery. Eduardo is wholly committed to organic farming and does everything by hand. His focus is on the classic local black grapes, the noble Nerello Mascalese and its usual vineyard companions like Nerello Cappuccio. Despite his young age, Eduardo is already making a name for himself as one of the new Etna winemakers to watch.