Vigna Don Paolo is a pure expression of Carricante and Etna, embodying elegance, complexity, and a crucial tension layered with volcanic spice and the saline minerality of Etna’s east face. The Carricante in this vineyard was planted between 1895 and 1898, forming an important part of Etna’s white wine history. This vineyard produced one of Etna’s most famous wines, the Benanti Pietramarina, crafted by a young Salvo Foti.
For years, vinification of Cosentino vines took place at the old millstone adjacent to the vineyard. Although the production techniques were not cutting-edge, the wine was of excellent quality and was mostly sold in bulk to the merchants of Riposto, who exported it to France. Fast forward to 1988, when a young Salvo Foti became the oenologist at Etna producer Benanti. Salvo negotiated to buy the family’s Carricante grapes and went on to create the flagship Pietramarina, a wine of superior quality that marked a historical turning point for the wines of Etna and demonstrated their potential to the world.
In 2007, Alfio Cosentino took over the management of this family-run vineyard and decided to embark on a new venture, creating their own wine from this vineyard. From the 2016 vintage, he began, for the first time, to bottle the Etna Bianco Superiore DOC wine obtained from the grapes of this over 100-year-old vine, naming it “Vigna Don Paolo” in honor of the original owner whose family planted the vines in the late 1800s. The winemaking was entrusted to none other than Salvo, reuniting him with a vineyard he started making wine from in 1988. Salvo’s deep knowledge of the Milo terroir truly showcases his expertise as a bianchista (white wine lover).