- Grape
- Nerello Mascalese
- 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.
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
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.
No current retailer offer matches that combination.
Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag.
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
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.
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.
The finish is long and stony. It closes dry and savoury with a salty, smoky echo rather than sweet fruit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A rare, conversation-piece Etna white with critic scores behind it; a strong pick for a seafood feast or a wine-curious dinner.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
- Best price
- £22.90
- Retailers
- 1 in stock
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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
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 →
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 →
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.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
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.
£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 behind this 'A Nutturna page
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 · HighDrawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur 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 · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumExplore Nerello Mascalese, Etna and Sicilian whites
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.
You May Also Appreciate
6 retailers
Passopisciaro Contrada G
Terre Siciliane
6 retailers
£44.20
£54.57
+ delivery
6 retailers
Passopisciaro Contrada C
Terre Siciliane
6 retailers
£45.10
£49.02
+ delivery
5 retailers
Passopisciaro Franchetti
Terre Siciliane
5 retailers
£98.90
+ delivery
5 retailers
Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Rosso
Terre Siciliane
5 retailers
£20.50
£23.84
+ delivery
Affiliate disclosure. Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Editorial coverage, ratings and tasting notes are written independently and a retailer cannot pay to be listed or to be ranked higher.
How retailer prices are sourced.
Prices and stock are read from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Outbound buy links carry rel="nofollow sponsored noopener". The list is sorted by price; we do not accept payment for placement.
What we will never do. Imply we tasted a bottle when we didn’t. Imply stock when a retailer is out. Imply independence on links that are paid affiliate links.
