A grape variety, A Story

Montargano is part of the municipality of Mascali, historically the homeland of one of Sicily’s most renowned grape varieties, Nerello Mascalese. Brought to Sicily by the Greeks, it was the Romans who introduced this red grape to the slopes of Mount Etna. On the eastern side of the volcano, the history of Nerello Mascalese is deeply inter- twined with the history of Etnean winemaking: a full-bodied, high-al- cohol wine was produced here, often exported to enhance the flavor and structure of the most famous French wines.

The wine was shipped from Riposto, which, until the 19th century, lacked a proper port. Barrels were floated out to the ships, a process that imparted additional and much-valued salinity to the wood—and consequently, to the wine itself.

It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the economic boom of Ne- rello Mascalese truly began. A multitude of winemaking facilities sprang up, marking an era when the chestnut forests of the Ma- scali area-the last remnants of the ancient Bosco d’Aci-were lost forever. They gave way to new vineyards and provided wood for the construction of barrels, which were increasingly shipped to Malta, Genoa, and Naples.