Ciro & Stef Biondi
The Biondi family has been producing wine on Mt. Etna since the 1600s. Salvatore Biondi, Ciro’s great uncle and his grandfather, Cirino brought Biondi wines to a zenith in second decade of the 20th c. They followed trend and in the footsteps of the greats before them, such as the Spitaleri family, who put Etna wines on the map as early as the mid 1800s, when they experimented with various native Etna varieties and French winemaking techniques, winning them gold medals in world trade shows. In the early 1900’s, the Biondi also participated in wine and trade fairs, together with their partner, Lanzafame, winning a collection of medals and awards for their wine which was bottled and labeled as 'Biondi - Lanzafame'. However, towards the end of the second World War, the company experienced a period of decline after the premature death of Salvatore, the unsuccessful readjustment to modern technology, and the new post-war market.
Flash forward to 1999 and enter in Ciro and Stef. They succeeded in restoring the 6 hectares of vines owned by the family, leading to the birth of ‘Outis’ and the production of high quality wines, whilst rediscovering the enormous potential of the volcanic ‘terroir’ and its indigenous grape varietals. Ciro and Stef were back on the Etna scene long before the wines became trendy collector’s items. Both continue their side hustles—Ciro is an Architect and Stef an English teacher—and have incorporated their winemaking business into their everyday lives. Quite literally, as they converted their on site Palmento (the old winemaking facility, with its huge manual press and stone fermenting vasks) to their tasting room and constructed their living quarters above it. In their excavations of vineyards they have found what are believed to be Greek ruins, and have also incorporated these into their gazebo outside in the vineyard, and even named a vineyard after their findings (‘Cisterna Fuori’, cistern outside, an ancient underground well).
The three terraced vineyards which make up the 6 hectares are planted with traditional Albarello vines on the South East facing slopes of Mount Etna, in the comune of Trecastagni, approximately 18 km from Catania. Vigna Chianta lies at an altitude of between 600 to 700 m a.s.l. on a crater dating back to 125 BC and while there are still some old Nerello vines, the white grape varietals Carricante, Catarrato and Minella make up most of the production. Vigna Cisterna Fuori planted on the same crater, but with a different aspect, produces predominantly Nerello Mascalese and Cappuccio. Last, but by no means least, Vigna San Nicolò lies on a crater dating back 12,000 years and produces exclusively Nerello.
The microclimate, peculiar to the foothills of Etna, the diversity of the sandy volcanic soil, rich in minerals and differing quite dramatically from one vineyard to the next, plus the huge diurnal shift in temperature all contribute to the unique characteristics of their wines. Their wines are humble and true, they have not succumbed to trends of new French oak, nor have they swayed the other direction to the ‘natty’ side. They remain steadfast Biondi.
