Why it matters
The producer
Tenute Mannino has been farming the slopes of Etna since 1873, and Giorgio Mannino is the sixth generation of the family to make wine here. The estate does not sit on one hillside. It is built across two separate exposures of the volcano, each growing different grapes under different conditions, with the range divided accordingly.
The winery itself is in Castiglione di Sicilia on Etna's northern side, where Pietra Marina grows Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the red wines. The southeastern vineyard, Le Sciarelle, sits in Viagrande at 450 metres, faces the sea, and grows Carricante and Catarratto for the whites. A third holding, Tenuta del Gelso, is a 65-hectare citrus farm that grows Tarocco oranges, clementines, mandarins, lemons, citron and grapefruit, and carries the deepest physical history of the estate.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Etna is a working volcano in northeastern Sicily, and its wines make sense only when the slope is identified. The northern side around Castiglione di Sicilia sits at 550 to 600 metres, receives more rainfall than the southern and eastern faces, and experiences strong swings between daytime heat and cool nights. Those temperature shifts slow the ripening of Nerello Mascalese and help the grape hold its characteristic acidity and red-fruit lift into the finished wine.
The southeastern slopes at Viagrande sit lower, at around 450 metres, and face the Ionian Sea. The sea breeze keeps temperatures from climbing too sharply, which preserves freshness in the white grapes. Carricante, the primary white variety on this side, produces wines with a firm acid line and a mineral character that comes in part from volcanic soil with low organic matter and high mineral content.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The estate practices dry farming across both vineyard sites, relying on rainfall and deep root systems rather than irrigation. Between vine rows, the team tills the volcanic soil to encourage progressive mineralization and maintain porosity, which allows rainwater to penetrate rather than run off. The effect is a soil environment that stays biologically active and accessible to vine roots without artificial intervention.
Harvest timing follows a two-stage assessment: the team begins with sensory evaluation of grape shape, colour, aroma and taste, then confirms with targeted chemical and physical tests before picking. Each parcel is harvested at its own moment.
Wines to know
The range in view
The eight-label range divides cleanly by geography. White wines carry Etna Bianco DOC and come from Le Sciarelle on the southeastern slopes; red and rosé wines carry Etna Rosso DOC and come from Pietra Marina on the northern side.
The Etna Bianco Aurantica is the white flagship: 80 percent Carricante, 20 percent Catarratto, soft-pressed, cold-settled, and fermented in stainless steel. It is a dry white with citrus fruit, white peach, green apple, marked acidity and a mineral character that comes from volcanic soil and sea-facing altitude.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
The Etna Bianco Aurantica is the right first bottle. It is 80 percent Carricante, 20 percent Catarratto, from Le Sciarelle at 450 metres on the volcanic southeastern slope, fermented and aged in stainless steel with no oak contact. The wine is dry, with citrus and white peach on the nose, a firm acid line in the mouth, green apple and mineral character through the mid-palate, and a clean finish with length. It is the bottle that most directly translates the Le Sciarelle site, the Carricante grape, and the steel-only cellar approach into a single glass. Start here before moving to the red crus.