Vino di Anna Don Alfio Qvevri 2020

Vino di Anna is a small family estate on the north face of Mount Etna in Sicily, farming tiny plots of old vines between sixty and a hundred years old at altitudes from 760 to 1,200 metres. The wines are made biodynamically and organically with minimal intervention, and this red is built on Nerello Mascalese with a little Alicante and Nerello Cappuccio. Etna's black volcanic soils are sandy and mineral-rich, draining freely and holding the cool of the mountain, while the high altitude gives a wide day-to-night temperature swing that keeps acidity fresh and the fruit aromatic and pale-coloured. The wine ferments with native yeasts and ages in qvevri, buried clay amphorae, where contact with the vessel and gentle micro-oxygenation build texture and savoury complexity without any oak flavour. It shows a light, bright ruby, with red berries, cherry and a floral lift of rose over an earthy background, black pepper, dried herbs and a smoky, volcanic minerality. The palate is fresh and finely structured, with grippy but delicate tannins, bright acidity and a long, savoury, stony finish. Serve at 16 degrees with game, poultry or mushroom dishes.