Frank Cornelissen has carved a unique niche in Sicilian winemaking, crafting a distinctive range of terroir-driven, low-intervention wines while acquiring a cult following along the way. A hardcore proponent of natural winemaking, he farms his 19 hectares on the slopes of Mt. Etna in a completely minimalist manner, viewing even biodynamic viticulture as “interventionist.” His hands-off approach in the vineyards carries over to the cellar as well: ‘Susucaru’ was fermented for 60 days in epoxy tanks using only indigenous yeasts, and was very lightly filtered and bottled unfined, with no sulfur used in the vineyards or cellar. 50 year old vines of nerello mascalese, nerello capuccio, minella nera, alicante bousquet, and minella bianco yield a wine that dramatically and transparently expresses the extreme Etna terroir, with an electrical current of tension underlying brambly wild red berries, crushed herbs, spices, and a whiff of smoky volcanic minerality. Fantastic with a slight chill and any number of light, savory dishes, from grilled vegetables to swordfish or charcuterie, this has taken on a well-deserved cult-favorite status. Organically grown, sustainably grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.
