🍇 Carricante

Carricante is a white Sicilian grape, the basis of white wines of Etna. It grows on the slopes of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, at altitudes up to 1,000 metres. The soils are volcanic, black and rich in minerals. Summers are hot, but nights at altitude are cool, so the grapes keep their freshness.

Wine from Carricante is pale, with high acidity and a noticeable mineral, sometimes salty, tang. It smells of citrus, apple and white flowers. With years the wine opens out, gaining notes of honey and nuts. Under the Etna Bianco rules Carricante must be the base, at least 60%, and in the Bianco Superiore version at least 80%.

Carricante is tied to Italian wine, Sicily and Etna. Outside Sicily the grape is hardly grown. In recent years interest in Etna wines has risen sharply, and Carricante has become one of the most notable Italian white grapes.