| Producer | I Vigneri Salvo Foti |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Subregion | Mt. Etna |
| Varietal | Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 1112927 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Tasting Notes: The I Vigneri Salvo Foti Etna Rosso Vinupetra is a pure window into how the wines of Mt. Etna were made in the past. A blend of 80% Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, with 10% Grenache and 10% of the local Francisi grape, from 100 year old vines. Fruit and earth notes blur together into a palate that ranges from dense and almost rich, to ethereal and elegant. The vibrancy of the volcanic soils is unmistakable. This is a wine to drink or hold as the older vines allows expression to come through at every point in its evolution.
The vines for the estate's top red wine, "Vinupetra", are concentrated at 700 meters altitude on the north side of the volcano near the town of Calderara. Here, the climate is more like the north of Italy than Sicily, winters are harsh and cold, the summers are hot and dry and there can be extreme fluctuations between night and day temperatures. The soils are broken or decomposed lava stone of varying depth mixed with sand. Many of the vines are rehabilitated old vines, some over 100 years-old, planted at 10,000 plants per hectare in alberello, the only training system Salvo considers for producing great fruit under the climatic conditions of Etna. All of these factors allow for work only by hand or mule in the vineyards.
Estate History: When speaking about the rise to fame currently underway in Sicily's Mt. Etna it is impossible not to mention Salvo Foti. A native of the city of Catania, Salvo studied enology and began his career in 1981 as a technical and agrarian advisor to some noted estates in eastern Sicily such as Gulfi, Benanti (where he brought the Pietramarina to great heights) and Biondi, all whose wines are universally recognized as among the best in Sicily.
Several years ago, Salvo’s love of the grapes and soils of Etna led him to initiate a project called I Vigneri. It takes its name from an association that existed in the Etna region in 1435, Maestranzi dei Vigneri, an association of vineyard workers that greatly influenced the wine culture of the Etna region.
