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. Ciro, an architect by training, and his wife Stef began their wine making journey in 1999, cultivating three vineyards near the small town of Trecastagni, using the family’s old stone palmento. The steep terraces that make up each of Ciro's three vineyards are iconic. Immediately you have a sense you've been here before, but of course it's only through images you've stumbled upon in years past. Like most of Etna the black volcanic soil is evident, falling through your hands like sand when you pick it up. Toward the very top of the steep terraces the soil and rocks turn a Mars-like red. Ciro's discovered the need to limit his input into the winemaking decisions and do everything he can to let the place speak as honestly as possible, with the very lightest touch. As Ciro reminds us, nature is so much more powerful than he is; his best work over the years has come from recognizing that truth.

Biondi's cellar and three single vineyards are on the south-east slope of Etna. Despite the regions of Passopisciaro and Terre Nere in the North garnering a bit more attention, historically the south side was better known than the north. South Etna tends to produce wines that are more subtle, more Pinot-like, than its Northern counterparts, and are often paler in color. The microclimate, unique to the foothills of this region of Etna, coupled with the diversity of its sandy, mineral-rich volcanic soil make Biondi’s wines a compelling contribution to one of the most intriguing wine regions of Italy, if not the world.