The I Vigneri project - named after a Sicilian Vintner’s Guild founded in 1435 - consists of 30 hectares of vines planted at 700 metres above sea level on the north side of Mount Etna near the town of Calderara. The project is led by Salvo Foti who works with a number of local growers to produce traditionally crafted, organic wines from old vines grown on volcanic and sandy soils. No herbicides or pesticides are used in the wine making process and all the grapes are hand-harvested. Fermentation takes place in open vats, without the use of yeast inoculation, enzymes or thermal control and the wines are bottled without fining nor filtration. 

Notes from the producer:

I Vigneri Etna Rosso is produced from all of the various aliquots of grapes that each year the owners of Etna vineyards cultivated by I Vigneri, give to the workers. These grapes are then used to make wine in Palmento Caselle, for their personal use.  This form of payment was standard on Mt. Etna in the past. Consequently, this wine represents the return of the ancient traditional winemaking of Etna – using these grapes earned by the workers and then making wine the Palmento – which today has nearly disappeared.