Cottanera Barbazzale Bianco Sicilia DOC

Cottanera wines are always beautiful, unique, and exhibit amazing balance. This is due to the unique location of the vineyards at an altitude of 700 meters on the slopes of the active volcano Etna, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013. This area is currently one of the most prestigious wine regions in Sicily. As the producers themselves joke, their wines are made in a natural chemical laboratory, and they have inadvertently become "volcanologists". Alongside indigenous varieties Nerello Mascalese, Cappuccio, Inzolia, and Carricante, they also grow international varieties — Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Viognier. The founder of the Cottanera winery was Guglielmo Cambria, who, along with his brother Enzo, established a large vineyard in the early 1990s on the site of an old walnut grove. He named his company after an ancient settlement located along the banks of the Alcantara River, whose inhabitants were engaged in viticulture. "We cannot look into the future, but we can use the experience we already have. The land, as my father taught me, is of utmost importance, as it is the beginning of everything and what we will become in the future." This fundamental tenet of Guglielmo's philosophy was passed on to his children, who took over the family business after his death. Mariangela, Francesco, and Emanuele, dividing responsibilities, adhere to the principles of combining tradition and innovation in both production and vineyard work. Pruning, leaf removal, thinning, and harvesting from their 65 hectares of land are done by a team of 25 women. This is because women's hands are more gentle and careful with the vines, positively affecting the quality of the grapes.