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.
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.
Address: Contrada Barbabecchi, 95030 Solicchiata, Catania, Italy, Sicily
Frank Cornelissen has farmed organically and with biodynamic inspiration since establishing his Etna estate in 2001. The vines are pre-phylloxera alberello at 600-900 metres on the north face of Etna.
Tip: Cornelissen's wines are no-added-sulfur; drink within three to five years of vintage for freshest expression or in a narrow window of cellaring. Available via specialist importers only.
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 produced as 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.
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 have been documented in Italian natural-wine press since the early 2000s. Their Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG is biodynamically farmed from Nero d'Avola and Frappato.
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.
Terre di Trente farms biodynamically on the north face of Etna in Castiglione di Sicilia. Pre-phylloxera alberello Nerello Mascalese is farmed without synthetic inputs. Biodynamic preparations are applied seasonally.
Tip: Known to natural wine sommeliers in Catania and Rome; allocations small and available through specialist UK importers and Italian natural wine shops.
Frank Cornelissen has farmed organically and with biodynamic inspiration since establishing his Etna estate in 2001. The vines are pre-phylloxera alberello at 600-900 metres on the north face of Etna.
Tip: Cornelissen's wines are no-added-sulfur; drink within three to five years of vintage for freshest expression or in a narrow window of cellaring. Available via specialist importers only.
Valdibella is a small certified-organic cooperative in Camporeale, working with small-plot farmer-members on native Sicilian varieties: Catarratto, Nero d'Avola, Perricone, Grillo. ICEA certified organic.
Tip: Valdibella Catarratto and Perricone are rarely exported and best found at natural wine shops in Palermo or directly at the cooperative's Camporeale address.
