Our Take: Perfumed and lifted, offering wild red cherry, blood orange, and crushed raspberry layered with rose, thyme, and a touch of volcanic ash. Light to medium-bodied with fine, taut tannins and bright acidity, it shows striking minerality and tension, finishing long, savory, and subtly smoky.

Appellation: Etna Rosso DOC
Grapes: 80% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappuccio
Farming: Practicing organic
Age of vines: Planted in 1980
Altitude, Aspect & Soil Type: 640 M, E Facing, Volcanic/Sand Typical
Harvest Time: Mid October
Maceration & Fermentation: 11 days maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with native yeast
Aging: 18 months in 225 and 500 L neutral barrels
Finishing: No fining or filtering
Production: 2,000 bottles annually
Importer: Ciro Biondi's family has owned vineyards on the southern side of Mt Etna since at least 1800, and first sold bottled wine under their label a century ago. The modern iteration of the Biondi winery started in 1999. Ciro (an architect by training) and his wife Stef own three vineyards near the small town of Trecastagni, and have reworked an old palmento in one of their vineyards as a winery. ‘Cisterna Fuori’ has been owned by the Biondi family for many centuries. That name means ‘outside cistern’, a reference to an ancient water cistern in the middle of the vineyard site. The vines grow on the side of a spent crater which dates back to 125 B.C. and is very steep, with supporting dry stone terraced walls. The wine is juicy, earthy, red-fruited and delicious. Pairs beautifully with pasta dishes and grilled seafood.