Vino Di Anna, Vendredi 13, Rosso 2021, Etna, Sicily, Italy

Anna Martens and Eric Narioo have been making wines on the side of Mt Etna since 2008, their wines reflect the individual terroir and is completely biodynamic. Anna and Eric also help protect and farm the rare Sicilian black bee. The vineyards are located on different Contrada (historic lava flows) and all grapes are tended to by hand with minimum intervention. A truly natural wine making approach creating super, natural wines

Friday 13th - unlucky for some, but for others it may be a day to celebrate... 2021 was an extremely hot and dry year on Etna, bringing a low yielding harvest of ripe, healthy grapes, yet with higher sugar levels than normal and the black grapes had thicker skins and were more tannic. With this in mind, vinification practices needed to be modified in order to make a balanced wine, so the grapes destined for Anna's Palmento Rosso (another one of our faves) and the Jeudi 15 Rosato were blended with a smidge of one of their white wines made from old bush vines of indigenous Etnaen white grapes; Grecanico, Carricante and Minneola.

The result is an energetic wine, full of fruit and plenty of trademark volcanic minerality. It brings aromas of cherries, strawberries and wild fennel. It's medium bodied with juicy, ripe tannins, red fruits and a touch of spice.