Palmento Costanzo

The winery is located in the municipality of Passopisciaro (metropolitan city of Catania) on the north side of Mount Etna in the Italian region of Sicily. The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. The farm is run by Serena Costanzo. The vineyards cover 18 hectares of vineyards with over 100 terraces laid out with dry stone walls on the slopes of the volcano Etna at 600 to 800 metres above sea level, planted with the red wine varieties Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, as well as the white wine varieties Carricante and Catarratto Bianco. Some of the vines are over 100 years old. The sustainable cultivation is carried out according to the rules of organic viticulture, whereby great attention is paid to the promotion and protection of biodiversity.

The selective grape harvest is done exclusively by hand, which means that only physiologically ripe grapes are processed. Gentle transport to the cellar takes place in small crates. The modern cellar was built according to the principles of bio-architecture, one wall of which consists of large windows. In addition, thanks to the openings at the top, on the terrace overlooking the vineyards, the cellar is lit by five cones that channel light inside and limit the electricity needed for lighting only to the darkest parts of the day. The thick lava stone walls guarantee optimal thermal insulation, protecting the wines from temperature fluctuations and keeping them cool even in summer. The product range includes around a dozen different DOC Etna wines in red, rosé and white. Depending on the type of wine, they are matured in stainless steel tanks, in large wooden bar rels or in French barrique barrels.