Adventures in Panella-Petto Dragone (The Dragon's Chest)
A little background…
The Mt. Etna wine region in Catania, Sicily has gained immense popularity in the market. In the 90s, a few now big names entered the scene and proved to us that volcanic winemaking was worth our attention. Since, there has been a quite literal explosion in artisanal winemaking in the area. International money is now well mixed in with centuries long standing wineries and family names. The accelerated increase in Etna wine production, however, means there is much to catch up on. The Consorzio di Tutela Vini Etna DOC (Etna wine production consortium, which I will refer to as the Consorzio in the rest of the article) that monitors the wine production of the area has some major tasks ahead of it, such as perhaps redefining production requirements and re-zoning/actually defining the more arbitrarily represented grape growing areas listed in the DOC.
What’s a DOC?
Italian wine law is governed by various levels of geographic indicators, with the more restrictive being DOC (Denominazione Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Dominazione Origine Controllata e Garantita). These laws define permissible grapes, quantities, vine training methods, vinification methods, territory delimitation, etc. The Etna DOC does define most areas within the production zone, but there is still no existing comprehensive, detailed map. Actually, Cittavino & Co.’s map is the only out there that accurately represents and lists all communes that make up the wine region.
The contrade (“cru” if we were speaking French— defines a specific area of a wine region, usually encompassing multiple vineyards) in the eastern and southern portions of the DOC are not as clearly defined as those of the North. The southern contrade are just simply listed. If you want to find them, you’d have to find a local to take you around and even then, no one would be able to agree on exact borders and confines. Ultimately, it is up to the Consorzio and the Minister of Agriculture to write them into law.
Why is a map important? and what does our adventure in Blindspot vineyard mean?
In addition to being valuable reference points, maps help to contextualize an area. By understanding where a contrada or vineyard is, we can then begin to better understand its surroundings. In the case of wine, maps are the number one framework for understanding soil, exposure, and therefore, styles of wines to expect. Geology is fascinating, but also infinitely complex. By parceling out sections, we can better begin to assess just what is in the soil. Being a still active volcanic zone, the soils of Etna are incredibly varied. A vignaiolo (someone who grows the grapes AND makes the wine–‘winegrower’), will find great variation even within their vineyard. A map would give them and those studying the region the ability to define these particular areas.
Additionally, tracking these areas helps us to understand the why behind what we accept as fact–the method behind the madness. When the founders of the Etna DOC wrote the document and set area parameters, they used historical references as well as looked for signs of winemaking within certain areas and elevations: terraces, wild vines, palmenti (A palmento is a wine making facility of the past. The remains of them scatter the landscape). Taking this journey past the cultivated area of the vineyard and into the overgrowth was important because this contrada, Panella-Petto Dragone, and vineyard in particular does not yet have representation on a map. We knew this vineyard was at the confines of the DOC but exactly where was that? We decided to check it out and track our progress by checking Ben’s altitude app, and found something really cool in the process!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a great camerawoman. This is all iPhone footage and the quality isn't great. While the end seems anticlimactic, it was a very cool moment for us. Especially when we made our discovery at 880 meters! I think you may hear a quiet “Holy $&%*” when we find it. It wasn’t an easy task getting up there, I cut a lot of our treading through, but we walked away feeling very accomplished and already have plans to up the stakes for our next adventure out there.
