352: The New Volcanic Wines of Sicily's Mount Etna with Ben Spencer

How do elevation and slope influence the style of volcanic wines of Mount Etna? What can volcanic wine made on Mount Etna in Sicily teach us about life? How is Mount Etna's wine scene evolving? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Ben Spencer, the award-winning author of The New Wines of Mount Etna. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks   Highlights Which aspects of Ben's first trip to Sicily in 2007 left a lasting impression? What stood out about Ben's first experience tasting Etna wine in Sicily? Which early experience exploring Etna's vineyards fundamentally changed Ben's understanding of the region and its wines? What do the wines of Etna show us about the relationship between winemaking and life? What are the biggest differences between winemaking in California and Etna, outside of terroir? What does the future look like for Etna wine? Are there limitations to the Etna DOC classification and what is the viable elevation range for vineyards? How do the wine characteristics vary between vines grown in different areas of the mountain? How do the periodic eruptions affect the soil in the vineyards on the slopes of Mount Etna? What was Ben's vision for the Etna Wine School and which programs are now available? How did Ben's poetry background influence his transition into wine writing? What can you expect from reading The New Wines of Mount Etna? What was the most surprising thing Ben discovered while writing The New Wines of Mount Etna? Why was researching the book particularly challenging for Ben?   Key Takeaways How do elevation and slope influence the style of volcanic wines of Mount Etna? At lower elevations, we're seeing more ripeness, earlier ripening, more boldness in the fruit. You see more opulent wines at lower elevations. Also, on the south slope, you're getting more development in the growing season because of the way the sun passes from the east along the south slope. The North Slope, we see a little bit more deflected light, especially in the shoulder seasons, so early spring and fall, and so you're getting more elegance. What can volcanic wine made on Mount Etna in Sicily teach us about life? To be patient, to watch, to listen, to learn from what's happening here, and to learn from everybody, because everybody has a different take on what's happening. Etna always moves outside of what we expect it to be. In the glass, we see a white wine, but all of a sudden there's white jasmine and orange flower together in the same field, and there's this juicy fruit and salinity and savory herbs and saltiness, and you get some repeated elements. How is Mount Etna's wine scene evolving? With Etna being at the beginning of a new wave of production, we are seeing a lot of people trying to define what that is, what Etna can be and will be. It'll be a study of the different elevations, of the different soil types, of the different districts where the wines are being made. But also Etna is a 10,000 foot tall cone. So there's a lot of different aspects to mountain wind, to sunlight, to the sea breezes, to old soils, young soils, and so there's a lot of things happening. So I think Etna will become a benchmark for variety, for exciting wines made from Carricante, the white grape variety here, and also Nerello mascalese, the red grape, which is made into sparkling wines, Rosés and red wines quite successfully.   About Benjamin Spencer Benjamin Spencer is the Director of Etna Wine School and the award-winning author of The New Wines of Mount Etna. In addition to holding a Diploma from the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Ben is a journalist, wine judge, and a professional winemaker with two decades of experience working with artisan and internationally traded wine brands in California and Italy.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/352.