Passopisciaro

Passopisciaro’s vineyards carpet the slopes of Mount Etna, an active volcano.Winery owner Andrea Franchetti is credited with being one of the winemakersresponsible for Etna’s red wine style nearly 20 years ago. He is one of the fewwine makers credited with transforming Etna from a bulk producing region tohigh quality appellation wines. Franchetti learnt winemaking in Bordeaux andhas a successful wine in Tuscany called Tenuta di Trinoro and then establishedPassopisciaro in 2000.He was also the first to plant international varieties like Chardonnay in a regionso intensely focused on local varieties. The results, however, have been stunninglygood because of Franchetti’s focus on varietal expression as opposed to excessiveoak treatment, thereby allowing the fruit to express the region’s unique terroir.