Est. 2008 
9 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Accommodation
Booking required 
Wine area
Etna
Black volcanic terraces on Europe's highest active volcano, the home of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante.
Terrazze dell’Etna
Terrazze dell'Etna is a wine estate on the north-west side of Mount Etna, near Randazzo in eastern Sicily. Nino Bevilacqua, an engineer from Palermo, started it in 2008 by buying abandoned terraced plots and restoring them. The vines sit on old stone terraces in the Etna park, up to 950 metres above sea level. Nerello Mascalese is the main grape, made as red, rosé and white wine. Four classic-method sparkling wines join them. Visitors can book a tasting, eat among the vines, or stay the night in the old farmhouses.
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Sicily
- Est. 2008
- 9 wines
- Tastings
- Tours
- Accommodation
- Booking required
Wines from Terrazze dell’Etna
About Terrazze dell’Etna
Nino Bevilacqua is an engineer from Palermo. In 2008 he began buying small plots on the north-west slope of Etna, near Randazzo. Most were abandoned and thick with brambles. He restored the old vines, the dry stone terraces and the palmento, the old stone press house where grapes were once trodden. The estate now covers about 40 hectares inside the Etna park, the size of about 56 football pitches, and makes 11 wines. The family still runs it, and runs the guest rooms too.
The vines sit between about 350 and 950 metres above sea level, in four named blocks of terraces. The highest, Bocca d'Orzo, gives the spiciest wines, the estate says. Cold air rolls down from the summit, and the mountain casts its shadow across the vines. They get more sun, and six to ten times the rain of the rest of Sicily. The soil is lava that has crumbled into black sand and ash. Every job in the vineyard is done by hand. At the end of winter sheep graze between the rows, then the teams hoe the softened ground. Etna became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, and the winery building stands beside a lava flow from the 1600s.
Nerello Mascalese, Etna's own red grape, is at the heart of most of the range. Cirneco and Carusu are the two Etna Rosso reds. Cirneco is pure Nerello Mascalese, and Carusu adds a fifth of Nerello Cappuccio. There is an Etna Rosato, and Ciuri, a white wine made from the same red grape. Cratere blends Nerello Mascalese with Petit Verdot, and Cinniri is an Etna Bianco from Carricante. The wines age in steel or in French oak casks on their third or fourth use. The estate says that lets the land show through rather than the wood. Cirneco made the Vinibuoni d'Italia guide in 2023, and the 2014 won a WineHunter gold seal in 2022.
The estate began with sparkling wine and still makes four by the metodo classico, turned on the racks and cleared of their yeast by hand. Blanc Brut is pure Chardonnay. Rosé Brut blends Pinot Noir with a little Nerello Mascalese, and the estate's first Nerello vines go into it. Each comes in two versions, 36 months or 50 months on the lees. Both 50-month wines have taken 5 Grappoli from the Bibenda guide, the rosé in 2020 and the 2017 Blanc Brut in 2023.
Visits are booked ahead and every one starts with a walk through the terraces. Tastings run from a 45-minute introduction to a two-hour comparison of the sparkling wines, with almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and local cheeses on the table. Lunch or dinner among the vines can be booked too. Five rooms and apartments in the old farmhouses take guests overnight, and Taormina and Catania are within reach by car. The old palmento, its tools still in place, is part of the tour.
Plate I · SICILY
Terrazze dell’Etna on the Sicily wine atlas
Winery
Terrazze dell’Etna
Randazzo, Catania · Etna
Denominations Produced
Grapes Used
Visit & Experiences
7 bookable experiences at Terrazze dell’Etna
7 tastings, checked by our editors. From €20.
Tasting & Tour
Nuances of Nerello Mascalese
1h 30
From €45 per person
Vineyard tour, tasting of 3 wines An authentic introduction to Nerello Mascalese, the variety that best tells the identity of the volcano. Elegance, mineral tension, and volcanic character are revealed through a guided tasting of 3 wines, accompanied by local products. For tasting: Ciuri Bianco, Rosato Etna DOC, Carusu Rosso Etna DOC Pairing: almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a selection of cheeses Ideal for those who want to discover the authenticity of the territory
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via Winalist
Tasting & Tour
Tradition and Innovation
1h 30
From €65 per person
Vineyard tour and tasting of 3 still wines and 1 sparkling wine The restoration of historical terraces meets continuous stylistic research in the context of Etna viticulture. A journey that offers a complete insight into the estate's production philosophy, for guests who wish to understand the cultural depth of Etna wine. Tasting: Blanc Brut, Ciuri Bianco, Carusu Rosso Etna DOC, Pinot Nero IGT Terre Siciliane Pairing: almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a selection of cheeses with bread and our own extra virgin olive oil Ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in the winery's production philosophy
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Tasting & Tour
The D.O.C. wines of Terrazze dell'Etna
1h 30
From €75 per person
Vineyard tour and tasting of 4 wines Volcanic soil, altitude, and exposure become keys to understanding the nuances that make the northeastern slope of Mount Etna unique. An immersive journey dedicated to the estate's DOC wines, designed for an experienced audience for a technical understanding of the bond between wine and landscape. Tasting: Cinniri Etna Bianco DOC, Ciuri Bianco, Carusu Etna Rosso DOC, Cirneco Rosso Etna DOC Pairing: almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a selection of cheeses with bread and our own extra virgin olive oil Ideal for those who want to travel through the Etna territory via its appellations
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Tasting & Tour
Sparkling Etna
2h
From €110 per person
Vineyard tour and tasting of 4 classic method wines A multi-act journey that reveals the most contemporary and international face of the volcano, naturally inclined towards tension and acidity. An experience designed to guide the guest through a deep understanding of Etna sparkling wine production, through landscape, comparison, and the dimension of time. From the freshness of the first expressions to the most evolved and complex selections. In the tasting: Rosé Brut, Blanc Brut, and Blanc Brut 50 months compared with another Italian classic method Pairing: almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese selections with bread and our own extra virgin olive oil
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Tasting & Tour
Introduction to Terrazze
45 min
From €20 per person
Vineyard tour, tasting of 2 wines An immediate journey to discover the identity of Terrazze dell'Etna through two interpretations of its flagship grape variety. On one hand, Ciuri, Nerello Mascalese vinified as a white wine: fresh, aromatic, and surprising. On the other, Cratere, a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Petit Verdot: an expression of Etna with a contemporary character, capable of engaging with a cosmopolitan palate without ever losing its connection to its roots. Tasting: Ciuri Bianco, Cratere IGT Pairing: almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a selection of cheeses Ideal for those who desire an immediate and surprising introduction to Terrazze dell'Etna
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Food Pairing
The Vineyard Lunch
2h
From €65 per person
Vineyard tour and tasting of 3 wines with a light lunch An experience that combines the wines of Terrazze dell'Etna with the pleasure of dining: three expressions of Nerello Mascalese accompanied by the most typical local products, always in balance between the culture of fine wine and the pleasure of sharing. For tasting: Ciuri Bianco, Rosato Etna DOC, Carusu Rosso Etna DOC Pairing: typical local products and dishes Ideal for a convivial and authentic approach
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Food Pairing
The Sunset Dinner
2h
From €80 per person
Vineyard tour and tasting of 3 wines with a light dinner An experience that combines the wines of Terrazze dell'Etna with the pleasure of dining: our Brut Rosé Metodo Classico and two different expressions of Nerello Mascalese accompanied by the most typical local products, always in balance between the culture of fine wine and the pleasure of sharing. For tasting: Brut Rosé 36 Months, Ciuri Bianco, Cratere Rosso Pairing: typical local products and preparations Ideal for a convivial and authentic approach
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Accommodation
Stay in the old farmhouses
Five rooms and apartments among the vines, from a 35 square metre double room to a 45 square metre apartment with a terrace. Booked by request through the estate. A stay comes with tastings, the estate says.
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Località Bocca d'Orzo, 95036 Randazzo, Catania (Sicilia)
What Terrazze dell’Etna makes
Terrazze dell’Etna's current bottle selection is led by Etna DOC. The clearest grape signal comes from Nerello Mascalese and Chardonnay.
Denominations
Key grapes
Common questions
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On the north-west slope of Mount Etna, at Località Bocca d'Orzo near Randazzo, in the province of Catania. The estate sits inside the Etna park, with vines between about 350 and 950 metres above sea level. Taormina and Catania can be reached by car.
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