IGT Red

Al-Cantàra 'A Nutturna Nerello Mascalese Bianco

Al-Cantàra
Denomination
Terre Siciliane IGT
Region
Sicily

A rare Etna white: Nerello Mascalese, Mount Etna's red grape, made as a white wine at Al-Cantàra in Randazzo. Grown on grey volcanic soil up to 1,100 metres, it offers pineapple, apricot and white flowers over a salty, stony, savoury finish.

Price
£22.90

2025 · 75cl · checked 29 Oct · Delivery £8.90, free on 4 bottles

Prices read daily from 1 UK retailer. We earn a commission on some links; it never changes the order.

Where to buy Al-Cantara A Nutturna

£22.90 price · 1 retailer in stock · checked 29 Oct 2026

One shop sells this wine in the UK, so there is no price to compare between shops. Each price is the one on its page today, read daily.

Svinando Best price 2025 · 75cl · checked 29 Oct · Delivery £8.90, free on 4 bottles
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£22.90 £30.53/L

Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag.

Tasting Notes

Tasting Al-Cantàra's Etna Nerello Mascalese in bianco

A blanc de noir from Mount Etna's north face: pineapple, apricot and white flowers over a smoky, salty, stony character. That is what grey volcanic soil gives Nerello Mascalese grown to 1,100 metres. Four to six months on the fine spent yeast build the savoury length.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
12 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Typical of Nerello Mascalese
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Pineapple and apricot lead, lifted by white flowers, crushed mint and a candied-citrus edge. Underneath runs the smoky, flinty, stony character Etna's grey volcanic soil lends Nerello Mascalese grown between 620 and 1,100 metres. Handling under inert gas, away from air, keeps the aromatics bright and primary.

LemonLemon
AcaciaAcacia
ApricotApricot
PineapplePineapple
MintMint
FlintFlint
AlmondAlmond
LiquoriceLiquorice
Palate

The wine is fresh and broad rather than weighty, with citrus drive and a savoury, almost salty core. Four to six months on the fine spent yeast, with regular stirring, build a creamy texture. A nutty almond undertone sits around the ripe stone fruit. There is no oak weight to mask the volcanic tension.

Finish

The finish is long and stony. It closes dry and savoury with a salty, smoky echo rather than sweet fruit.

Overall

This is a rare blanc de noir from Mount Etna. A well-liked wine, and critics back it too: two 90-point scores, James Suckling among them, and a Decanter silver for recent vintages. It sits in Al-Cantàra's structured white line: a food white for Sicilian seafood now, with five to seven years of cellar potential ahead.

Drink now Best by 2031
Live UK pricing

Finding 'A Nutturna, a small-batch Etna white

Al-Cantàra is a boutique Randazzo estate making fewer than twenty labels, so 'A Nutturna turns up in specialist Italian and UK lists rather than supermarkets. Recent vintages here span a 2024 magnum and the 2022 in standard 75cl.

Best price · 75 cl · 2025 £22.90 at Svinando
75cl · 2025 available from Svinando £22.90, in stock
Vintages live 2025 Current release: 2025
Per-litre (75cl · 2025 basis) £30.53 Lowest current 75cl · 2025 offer
Last checked 29 Oct 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How 'A Nutturna scores for food, value and cellar

A high-acid, stony Sicilian white that over-delivers for the money. Strong with food, an approachable way into Etna for the curious, and unusually ageworthy for a white at this level.

Best with food 9.0/10

High acidity, a salty, stony character and a creamy yeast-rested texture make it a versatile seafood and white-meat partner; an Etna white built for the table.

Best for an occasion 7.2/10

A rare, conversation-piece Etna white with critic scores behind it; a strong pick for a seafood feast or a wine-curious dinner.

Best value 7.0/10

Around 20 to 32 pounds for a hand-farmed, high-altitude Etna white scoring 90 points; priced like a grower wine, fair for the rarity.

Best for cellar 7.0/10

Months on the spent yeast, high-altitude acidity and volcanic structure give five to seven years of development, high for a white in this band.

Best intro to this style 6.2/10

Fruity and fresh young, but a blanc de noir from Etna is an unusual style that rewards curiosity rather than a first-timer's default.

Best everyday bottle 4.8/10

At 20 pounds plus and made for the table over a weeknight pour, it leans occasion over everyday; the price band caps the score.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Terre Siciliane in five fields

A compact view of what the Terre Siciliane denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
Variety list not yet recorded
This bottle: Nerello Mascalese.
Minimum ageing
Recorded by producer
Disciplinare ageing rule not yet recorded.
Region / area
Sicily
Style
IGT · Terre Siciliane
Classification
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
Vintages

'A Nutturna across vintages: 2022 and 2024

Two vintages list here, the 2022 in 75cl and a 2024 magnum, both pure Nerello Mascalese made as a white. Al-Cantàra's back vintages have drawn 90-point critic scores and a Decanter silver, and the wine is built to hold five to seven years.

2025 Current release
Best price
£22.90
Retailers
1 in stock
2024 Sold through
Best price
not listed
Retailers
0 in stock
Window
Drink now through 2031

Released young and offered here in magnum: a fresh, primary take on Nerello Mascalese in bianco, all pineapple, citrus and white flowers. Give it bottle age to build the honeyed, mineral depth the label is known for.

2022 Sold through
Best price
not listed
Retailers
0 in stock
Window
Drink now through 2029

A warm, dry growing season on Etna; high-altitude north-slope fruit kept its freshness, giving a broad, savoury white of ripe pineapple and apricot. Drinking well now, with the structure to hold towards the end of the decade.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Why Al-Cantàra 'A Nutturna drinks like serious Etna

IGP Terre Siciliane gives Al-Cantàra freedom that Etna DOC rules deny, yet the fruit is pure high-altitude Nerello Mascalese from grey volcanic soil at Randazzo. Winemaking away from air, low sulphur and months on the spent yeast put it closer to a grower white than a regional bottling.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Terre Siciliane is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. Varieties not yet recorded
  • Tasting panel. No mandatory pre-release tasting
03

Region and area context

Terre Siciliane falls within Sicily.

The zone the estate stands in The producer

Made at Al-Cantàra, Randazzo. Directions

04

Reading the label

  • Al-CantàraProducer / estate
  • Nerello MascaleseGrape varieties
  • Terre Siciliane IGTGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2025Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 75 clBottle size
  • Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05

What sits behind the price of Al-Cantara A Nutturna

Tracked from
£22.90
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
High-altitude Etna fruit to 1,100 m, hand-harvested
  1. 01

    High-altitude Etna fruit to 1,100 m, hand-harvested

    Cost up

    Vines on grey volcanic soil up to 1,100 metres at Randazzo, picked entirely by hand; low-yield mountain viticulture costs far more than valley-floor fruit.

  2. 02

    Rare blanc de noir of Nerello Mascalese

    Cost up

    Vinifying Etna's red Nerello Mascalese as a white is a niche, labour-intensive choice that limits volume and lifts the price versus a standard Sicilian white.

  3. 03

    Lees ageing and reductive, low-sulphur winemaking

    Cost up

    Four to six months on the fine spent yeast with regular stirring, plus fermentation under inert gas and sulphur under 70 mg per litre. All of it adds cellar time and handling cost before release.

  4. 04

    IGP Terre Siciliane, not a premium DOC

    Cost down

    The flexible IGP Terre Siciliane classification carries no DOC price premium, keeping 'A Nutturna below Etna Bianco DOC bottlings of similar pedigree.

  5. 05

    Boutique estate, limited UK distribution

    Cost up

    Al-Cantàra makes fewer than twenty labels and reaches the UK through specialist importers, so tight supply supports the 20 to 32 pound shelf price.

  6. 06

    UK duty and VAT on still wine

    Cost up

    At 2026 rates UK excise duty on still wine under 15 percent is 2.67 pounds a bottle before 20 percent VAT. That is a fixed slice of the roughly 25 to 32 pound UK price.

01

High-altitude Etna fruit to 1,100 m, hand-harvested

Cost up

Vines on grey volcanic soil up to 1,100 metres at Randazzo, picked entirely by hand; low-yield mountain viticulture costs far more than valley-floor fruit.

Food Pairing

Saline Etna white: dishes that fit 'A Nutturna

Built on Nerello Mascalese acidity and a volcanic, salty core, 'A Nutturna leans to Sicilian seafood. Swordfish, shellfish and seafood pasta fit, plus the aged cheeses the producer recommends.

Acidity matching Strong match

Sicilian swordfish and grilled fish

Nerello Mascalese made as a white keeps high, citrussy acidity that cuts the oil-rich flesh of pesce spada and refreshes the palate between bites. Its salty, volcanic edge acts like a squeeze of lemon over the fish.

Try with: Pesce spada alla Siciliana · grilled sea bass · swordfish involtini · tuna steak · grilled prawns · More pairings →

Salt balance Strong match

Shellfish and mussels

The wine's own salty, stony core mirrors the briny liquor of mussels and clams, while the acidity lifts garlic and chilli. A volcanic Etna white that meets the sea on its own terms.

Try with: Impepata di cozze · cozze arraganate · spaghetti alle vongole · sautéed clams · oysters · More pairings →

Fat cutting Good match

Seafood pasta and risotto

Months on the spent yeast give the wine a creaminess with enough texture to sit beside seafood pasta. The citrus acidity slices through olive oil and butter so the dish stays fresh.

Try with: Fregula ai frutti di mare · spaghetti allo scoglio · seafood risotto · linguine ai gamberi · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Aged and soft cheeses

Apricot, pineapple and honeyed, yeasty notes bridge to nutty aged cheeses and creamy soft cheeses, a pairing Al-Cantàra recommends. The acidity keeps richer cheeses from cloying.

Try with: Aged Pecorino Siciliano · provolone · ricotta antipasti · soft sheep's cheese

Body matching Good match

White meat and Sicilian vegetable dishes

With more body than a lean coastal white, 'A Nutturna handles roast chicken and aubergine dishes such as pasta alla Norma. Its acidity balances sweet-sour Sicilian flavours.

Try with: Pasta alla Norma · caponata · roast chicken · vegetable involtini · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Skip rich red-meat braises and sweet desserts

This is a delicate, salty white; rich red-meat braises, heavily spiced curries and sugary desserts overwhelm its stony freshness and make it taste thin. Keep it with seafood, white meat and cheese instead.

Skip with: Beef brasato · lamb ragù · vindaloo · chocolate dessert · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Cellaring 'A Nutturna, an ageworthy Etna bianco

Al-Cantàra positions 'A Nutturna in its structured, long-lived white line and cites five to seven years of development. Grown high on Etna and rested on its spent yeast, it gains honeyed, nutty depth with bottle age rather than fading.

Decanting
1 hour

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
High

Months on the spent yeast, high-altitude acidity and volcanic structure give five to seven years of development, high for a white in this band.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£22.90 for a 75cl bottle of the 2025, at Svinando, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources behind this 'A Nutturna page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 29 Oct 2026, 01:50 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Explore Nerello Mascalese, Etna and Sicilian whites

Denomination
Terre Siciliane IGT

Common Questions

It is a white wine made from Nerello Mascalese, Mount Etna's signature red grape, pressed off the skins and made as a white. Al-Cantàra places it in their structured, long-lived white range under the IGP Terre Siciliane denomination.

Expect pineapple, apricot and white-flower aromas with a smoky, stony lift from Etna's volcanic soil. The palate is fresh and broad, savoury rather than sweet, with a long salty finish drawn from four to six months on the fine spent yeast.

From Al-Cantàra's estate at Randazzo on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily. The vines sit on grey volcanic soil, full of minerals, between roughly 620 and 1,100 metres above sea level.

Its acidity and salty edge suit Sicilian swordfish such as pesce spada alla Siciliana, shellfish like impepata di cozze, seafood pasta and aged cheeses. The producer also points to grilled fish and white meats.

It drinks well young for its freshness but is built to develop. The estate and Italian merchants cite a cellaring potential of around five to seven years, over which it gains evolved honeyed and nutty notes.

Hand-harvested Nerello Mascalese is pressed in whole bunches and fermented under inert gas, away from air, in stainless steel at 14 to 18C. It then rests on its fine spent yeast for four to six months with regular stirring. Added sulphites stay low, under 70 mg per litre.

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Al-Cantara A Nutturna