Signum Aetnae tells the story of viticulture on Etna, the most important volcano on the European continent. Its grapes are harvested in about 2 hectares of ungrafted vines planted in the period prior to the appearance of the phylloxera, in the early twentieth century. Vineyards that have withstood and covered a time span even longer than the century and a half. Grapes of this extraordinary Etna Riserva, produced for the first time in 2014, are mainly of Nerello Mascalese, endemic cépage of the Etna area and other sporadic relic varieties, currently under study and research project by the while the National Council of Research, which has defined the genetic profiles in part until today unknown. The dendrochronological analysis of the wood of the vines was the prerogative of the University of Palermo, which thanks to the extraction from the most intact strains, was able to estimate the age of the vines, between 140 and 155 years.

A single vineyard that magnified the enology of Etna. This is the Signum Aetnae project, the absolute vertex of the Firriato sull’esna quality pyramid. The process of vinification and refinement of this precious Reserve was conceived in accordance with the Terroir concept with the aim of enhancing the specific peculiarities brought as a dowry by the pre-phylloxera vineyard. The collection of the grapes is selective and manual and rule, occurs in the last decade of October. The selected grapes are de-stemmed and pressed for vinification in steel which, with the malolactic fermentation. It lasts for about two weeks. Aging in French oak barrels is two years. It is in the selection of fine woods. seasoned in the open air for about 3 years, from the forests of Allier, Tronçais and Jupilles, which Firriato expresses the utmost attention and care. The passage in cask is decisive to define the distinctive sign, a concept that we find in the name of the wine itself. The refinement continues in the bottle for a period of about 18 months with the aim of raising the expression of the pre-phylloxeric Nerello Mascalese, destined by its very nature to long aging.

The climatic trend was decisive for the quality of the grapes produced, after the spring rains and early summer, temperatures gradually approached the seasonal averages, but without heat peaks. In September , rains arrived but despite the concern that made us think of a difficult year, the month of October was kind. With sunny days and no rain, the grapes were brought to the cellar perfectly intact and ripe as well as healthy. from the sanitary point of view excellent with ratios The leaf surface has been in perfect balance with the / production of the fruit on the plant in a state of absolute balance (about 1 square meter of leaf surface per kg of grapes). Date of collection: October 17th. The quality of the red grapes was optimal, for a slow and balanced ripening of the grapes which – today – we find in the glass with a red of excellent finesse, harmonious and at the same time deep and complex, as befits a great aging wine.