Maugeri
Maugeri is simply one of Italy’s most exciting new wine projects. In a remarkable location on the eastern slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, overlooking the Ionian sea, the Maugeri family is crafting brilliant volcanic white wines. The stunning terraced estate, although having produced wine 50 years ago had more recently been turned over to fruit production. In 2012 the three Maugeri sisters, Paola, Michela and Carla decided to replant the estate to vines, and made their first vintage in 2020. They have already been garlanded with praise from leading critics, and have received the coveted Tre Bicchieri from Italian publication Gambero Rosso.
Etna is often considered red wine territory, but on the eastern side of the volcano, around the small town of Milo, the tiny Etna Bianco Superiore DOC has long been home to Etna’s finest whites, made from the Carricante variety. Maugeri, then, is one of the only Etna producers not to make a red wine. Instead, they pay hommage to the legacy of this part of Etna through their mineral, scintillating whites.
The Wines
The Maugeri estate is one contiguous seven hectare (15 acre) block at 700m altitude (2300 feet), near the town of Milo and directly below the summit cone of Mt. Etna. The vineyard is usually covered in a light dusting of fine pumice stone from the frequent minor eruptions above it. Given the slope of the volcano here, the vineyard is planted on terraces, 83 in total. The vines are single-staked bush vines (albarello). Seeing the volcano towering above you in one direction and the azure waters separating Sicily from Greece’s Ionian islands in the other is one of the most remarkable sights in the wine world (see photos below).
Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Volpare 2023 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Volpare Frontebosco 2023 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Praino Frontemare 2023 Tech Sheet | Label | Bottle Shot
The altitude, sea breeze and the east-facing slopes ensure that this is one of Etna’s coolest areas, appropriate for white wine production, and the sandy, fertile, volcanic soils are rich in minerals. Etna’s viticultural geography is defined by contrade, geographical areas larger than a vineyard but smaller than a village. The Etna Bianco Superiore DOC covers eight different contrade around the town of Milo, and the Maugeri estate straddles two of them, Volpare and Praino.
Volpare covers more estate area and produces the estate wine and the Frontebosco bottling. Frontebosco (‘in front of the forest’) is a warmer part of the vineyard, sheltered from wind by the trees; the wine is richer and on a slightly larger scale than the other bottlings. On the north side of the property, the Praino contrada is the source of the grapes for the Frontemare (‘in front of the sea’), a cool east-facing site with a little more clay and tufa in the soil, yielding a linear, intense style. All three wines we import are 100% Carricante, the variety which best captures the terroir of Etna. It produces zesty, medium-bodied wines with intense citrus fruit and a dry, saline finish. All of the 2023 whites register a mere 12.5% alcohol.
In keeping with organic principles, the Maugeri vineyards are treated only with copper and sulfur. Winemaking is relatively straightforward: the grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed. The must is chilled for a short period (3-6 hours) to fix the aromas, and then fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel and 500 liter French tonneaux (which have been steamed only, not toasted). The wine remains on its lees for its eight months of aging in the same vessels prior to bottling. Gea Cali is the estate manager and Emiliano Falsini the consultant oenologist. Total production from the estate is around 40,000 bottles/year.
