The story of Benanti began in 1988 with your father, Giuseppe. What inspired him to embark on this project? How are you and your brother involved in this family project today?

Our father, Giuseppe, was a bon vivant and a true wine connoisseur. His original profession (in the pharmaceutical field) allowed him to travel the world, dine in the finest restaurants, and taste excellent wines.

Around the age of 35, he began to plan, in a very concrete way, the creation of his own winery, a project that became a reality a few years later, in 1988. At that time, there weren't many wine producers around Etna. It took a lot of investment to develop a market for our wines. They are mountain wines, fresh and elegant, not necessarily what people imagine when they think of Sicily. My brother and I joined our father in this adventure about fifteen years ago. Before returning to Italy, we had spent almost twenty years abroad, mainly in Switzerland and England.

The unique feature of Benanti is that you have vineyards on different slopes of Etna. What are the characteristics of these different areas?

Yes, exactly. Etna is a veritable world of micro-zones, and there are very significant differences between the four sides of the appellation.

The north is generally cooler, and the wines produced there, especially reds, are fine, elegant, and floral. The main grape variety is Nerello Mascalese, the typical red grape variety of Etna, which is somewhat similar to the Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo of northern Piedmont.

The eastern side is identified with the small village of Milo and its very prestigious sub-appellation, "Etna Bianco Superiore." Here, only Carricante is planted, the typical white grape variety of Etna. The result is white wines with excellent acidity and delicate notes of white flowers. The vines are located at an altitude of almost 800 meters, between the sea and the summit of the volcano. The winds are very strong, and the rains are more frequent than elsewhere. The wines of Milo are sometimes compared to those of Chablis.

On the southern side of the volcano, there are two sub-zones: the Southeast and the Southwest. The vineyards in the Southeast are less than 10 kilometers from the sea; the breeze blows regularly, but there is also plenty of sunshine. On this side, both Nerello Mascalese and Carricante are grown. On the southwest side, however, it is very far from the sea and warmer. For this reason, the vineyards are located at an altitude of almost 1,000 meters. We obtain richer and more concentrated wines, but they retain a very nice acidity thanks to the altitude. Here, in addition to Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, we also find Nerello Cappuccio, a virtually unknown grape variety, which resembles Cabernet Franc from the Loire or certain Gamays.

You grow Carricante for white wines. How would you define this grape variety? And why has the Pietra Marina cuvée become such an iconic wine?

Carricante is, quite simply, one of the best white grape varieties in Italy. It is very elegant, not too aromatic, and is generally aged on lees. It is capable of producing wines with very nice acidity, notes of white flowers, flint, saline, and petroleum.

The Pietra Marina cuvée has become an icon thanks to these different qualities and its extraordinary longevity.

For the reds, Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio are in the spotlight. They make Benanti an ambassador for these grape varieties. How are they cultivated in the vineyard and then in the winery?

The two grape varieties are cultivated in a fairly similar way in the vineyard. The preferred system is the gobelet system. Pruning is very short and the yield per hectare is very low (around 5,000 kg).

But then, the aging is different. Nerello Mascalese is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, while Nerello Cappuccio is aged only in stainless steel vats.

More generally, how do you see the evolution of the vineyards located around Etna?

We imagine that the region's development will continue. The quality of the wines is rising, as is investment. There are currently many producers, but they are very, very small. So perhaps there could be a phase of concentration...