The Calabretta family has farmed the Calderara contrada on the north face of Etna for over a century with minimal intervention. Their Etna Rosso and Riserva are made from pre-phylloxera alberello vines with no added yeasts, no fining and no filtration.
Tip: Calabretta's wines are available at natural wine bars and specialist shops in Catania and Palermo before reaching export. Buy directly at Randazzo when on Etna.
Address: Contrada Calderara, 95030 Randazzo, Catania, Italy, Sicily
Calabretta's Etna Rosso and Riserva are made with minimal sulfur additions, no fining and no filtration. The pre-phylloxera alberello vines' natural vitality reduces the need for winemaking stabilisation. The wines carry the characteristic Etna volcanic minerality with no chemical overlay.
Tip: Calabretta Riserva benefits from 5-8 years of cellaring despite its minimal-intervention status; the high-altitude Calderara fruit has the structure for patient ageing.
Arianna Occhipinti's wines are unfined and unfiltered with no animal-derived fining agents used. This is consistent with her low-intervention philosophy documented on the estate website and confirmed by natural wine importers De Maison Selections and Caves de Pyrene.
Tip: The SP68 range and the single-varietal Frappato and Nero d'Avola are all vegan-friendly by production method.
COS wines are unfined and unfiltered, fermented in amphora with native yeasts and without animal-derived fining agents. The pithos fermentation approach makes adding finings impractical; the vegan status is a function of production method rather than a deliberate certification.
Tip: The Pithos Bianco and Pithos Rosso are the most distinctive vegan expressions in the range; the natural amphora skin contact gives texture that replaces any need for fining.
Frank Cornelissen's wines are produced with no added sulfur (SO2), one of the strictest no-sulfur philosophies in Italian wine. The MunJebel and Magma wines show the result: very low total SO2 levels. The wines require careful storage at consistent temperatures and have a shorter drinking window than conventionally stabilised wines.
Tip: Store Cornelissen wines at 12-14 C without temperature fluctuation. Drink the entry-tier MunJebel within three to five years; allocate the Magma cuvees 5-10 years of careful cellaring.
Arianna Occhipinti adds minimal sulfur only at bottling, as documented by her importers De Maison Selections and Caves de Pyrene. The SP68 range and single varietals are among Italy's benchmark minimal-sulfur wines, achieving stability through farming quality and gentle winemaking rather than chemical additions.
Tip: Transport Occhipinti wines with care; the minimal-sulfur approach means the wines are sensitive to heat and light during shipping. Buy from temperature-controlled specialist retailers.
Calabretta's Etna Rosso and Riserva are made with minimal sulfur additions, no fining and no filtration. The pre-phylloxera alberello vines' natural vitality reduces the need for winemaking stabilisation. The wines carry the characteristic Etna volcanic minerality with no chemical overlay.
Tip: Calabretta Riserva benefits from 5-8 years of cellaring despite its minimal-intervention status; the high-altitude Calderara fruit has the structure for patient ageing.
COS (Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti) has farmed biodynamically and organically since the 1990s-2000s. ICEA organic certified. Their amphora (pithos) fermentation and biodynamic field preparations are among the most documented in Italian natural wine. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG is the benchmark biodynamic-influenced wine in Sicily.
Tip: COS does not publicise cellar appointments widely; contact via the estate email for visits. The Frappato and Pithos Rosso lines show the biodynamic farming most clearly in their aromatic lift.
