Federico Graziani’s path to Etna began early. Named Italy’s Best Sommelier at just 23, he built his reputation as a writer, scholar, and tireless student of wine before turning his attention to the mountain. After earning his degree in viticulture and enology, he apprenticed with Etna visionary Salvo Foti, whose mentorship shaped both his technical precision and his respect for tradition. Today, Fede farms a mosaic of vineyards on Etna’s north face in Passopisciaro and Montelaguardia, where Nerello Mascalese thrives among ancient, pre-phylloxera vines rooted in volcanic sand. This is a special place with its own unique ecosystem featuring remarkable climatic variability and a variegated landscape teeming with life. For the past 2000 years, people here have been growing vineyards in small plots of land reclaimed from the mountain, living in symbiosis with the volcano and adapting to the power and unpredictability of its elements. A member of the Maestranza dei Vigneri, Fede works with minimal intervention, relying on native yeasts, old vines, and intuition to guide each cuvée. His wines mirror the man: refined, intense, and deeply Sicilian, expressions of altitude, patience, and volcanic character.
From a single 35-year-old vineyard in Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, at 600 meters on Etna’s north face, Rosso di Mezzo captures the grace and precision that define Federico’s wines. The blend — 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio — is entirely destemmed and naturally fermented, then aged 24 months in stainless steel and a small portion in neutral oak before resting six months in bottle. The resulting wine, Rosso di Mezzo, is a quietly confident expression of Etna’s north slope, refined, balanced, and unmistakably volcanic, where fruit, freshness, and stony depth meet in perfect poise. A luminous, transparent ruby in the glass, its aromas unfold gradually: wild strawberry, redcurrant, and orange zest layered with notes of anise, tobacco leaf, and fresh herbs. On the palate, it’s supple and lifted, showing fine acidity and gentle tannins that frame flavors of cherry, blood orange, and mineral spice. A flicker of flint and salt carries the finish, giving length and clarity.