Etna
The vineyards of Palmento Costanzo are located in Contrada Santo Spirito, in Passopisciaro, a small town near Castiglione di Sicilia. This is the heart of the Parco Naturale dell’Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mt. Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, offers one of the most spectacular territories in the world. An active and dynamic place, overflowing with terrestrial energy: a vigorous natural laboratory where everything evolves and transforms.
Heritage of biodiversity
The Etna is teeming with biodiversity: from the vineyards on the hills to the perennial glaciers, passing through olive and pistachio groves, forests of holm oak, birches, oaks and chestnut trees that shelter rich wildlife. Over 3,000 meters, only rocks thrive: this is the volcanic desert of ash and lapilli, at times traversed by blazing lava, which the Etna uses to constantly change shape and reveal its unyielding power.
Prosperouse climate
The geological abundance of the Etna combines with the prosperous climate that lead to excellent viticulture. Currents from the mountain are warmed up by the influence of the nearby sea, favoring constant ventilation that combats fungal diseases. Excellent diurnal temperature variation, even reaching 30 degrees, favor a slow and constant ripening of the grapes and help the development of the fruit’s aromatic profile. The perennial snow on the volcano and precipitation levels that are up to ten times higher than the island’s average guarantee natural soil hydration. These elements help the vines endure heat and drought in the summer, urging the roots to go deeper in search of groundwater and valuable micro-nutrients.
Focus
Heroic viticulture
In Contrada Santo Spirito, volcanic rocks emerge on the surface. These are called sciare, the remains of the lava flow that in 1879 shaped the landscape and created the unique soils cultivated by Palmento Costanzo. The vines are more than a hundred years in age and are trained using the alberello technique. The plants thrive on typically dark soils composed of volcanic sands and effusive rock, rich in skeletal grains and micro-elements.
This is heroic viticulture exclusively carried out by hand and under organic management. The rows climb up the slopes of the Etna along dry stone terraces, which locals refer to as custeri. Between a vineyard and another rise some turrette: pyramid-shaped structures created to accumulate lava stones extracted from the fields before plowing. A symbol of industriousness and an ode to the millennial efforts of Sicilian winegrowers.
