Vino
Etna

I Custodi

I Custodi are the keepers, the guardians of Mt. Etna’s vineyards: to guard means to preserve the land, to maintain the traditions and to respect the people.

From these values and from the love for a beautiful land, where the vine was brought by man more than two millennia ago, spring the wines of I Custodi, the result of the generosity and the minerality of the warm volcanic soil, the cold of the Muntagna and the sun of Sicily.

Healthy vines of all ages, growing densely on ancient dry stone terraces, supported by their stake in chestnut wood, are cultivated in harmony with the environment that surrounds them — only by manual labor and with the help of Ciccio the mule — by I Vigneri, skilfull Etnean winegrowers. Winegrowing as it has always been on Mt. Etna for centuries, without synthetic chemicals, in respect of the people, the landscape and the nature.

In our vineyards, lying in Mt. Etna’s best suited areas at elevations between 650 and 1,200 m above sea level, we treasure for the future what we have received as a gift from the past.

We restored the ancient lava stone terraces, the main landmarks of Etnean scenery, which help us by draining the rain water and offering the best possible ventilation to our vines.

All our vineyards are tightly planted with bush-trained vines, standing in the traditional quincunx pattern – 8,500 to 10,000 plants per hectare. We guard and take care of the old vines we found, many of them more than hundred years old, and with the same love we plant and raise the new ones, always respectful of the Etnean culture and traditions.

The wines

  • "Ante" Etna Bianco DOC – 2017

    white White Mainly Carricante with Minnella and Grecanico • Vines Age up to 40 years • Altitude 850 - 1200 mt a.s.l. • Type of Soil Sandy, volcanic, very rich in minerals, with subacid reaction • East Exposure • The fermentation in stainless steel vats at 20°C and 12 months in the same vats• At least 6 months of bottle fining

  • "Vinujancu" Terre Siciliane IGT – 2014

    white White Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Grecanico, Minnella• Vines Age from 6 up to 17 years • Altitude 1200 mt a.s.l. • Type of Soil Sandy, volcanic, with relatively low pH levels• North-West Exposure • The fermentation takes place in stainless steel and lasts for 20 days• 12 months in 5Hl used tonneaux • At least 6 months of bottle fining

  • "Alnus" Etna Rosato DOC – 2015

    rose Rosè Mainly Nerello Mascalese and some Nerello Cappuccio • Vines Age 10 years • Altitude 650 mt a.s.l. • Type of Soil Sandy, volcanic, rich in minerals, with subacid reaction • North Exposure • Clusters are soft-crushed. The old Etnean “pista e mutta” technique is applied: the must is separated from the skins after a very short maceration• 5 months in concrete vats • At least 2 months of bottle fining

  • "Pistus" Etna Rosso DOC – 2016

    red Red Mainly Nerello Mascalese and some Nerello Cappuccio • Vines Age 10 years • Altitude 650 mt a.s.l. • Type of Soil Sandy, volcanic, very rich in minerals, with subacid reaction • North Exposure • 7 days of skin contact in concrete vats • 9 months ageing in cocrete vats • At least 2 months of bottle fining

  • "Aetneus" Etna Rosso DOC – 2010

    red Red Mainly Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante• Vines Age up to 150 years • Altitude 750 mt a.s.l. • Type of Soil Sandy, volcanic, very rich in minerals, with subacid reaction • Maceration for 12 days in steel vatsa and Malolactic fermentation in small barrels • At least 24 months In used and semi-used barriques • At least 12 months of bottle fining

Wines & Producers