Where does one even begin when talking and writing about Passopisciaro? Simply put, honesty dictates and history attests that this is the estate that put the Etna and its wines on the world wine map. While it must never be forgotten that it is thanks to Giuseppe Benanti and his family (along with his then winemaker Salvo Foti) that Italy first became aware of the greatness of the Nerello and Carricante varieties, it is just as certain that the Etna’s unique capacity to express terroirs and to recognize the existence of the many contrade was the merit of Andrea Franchetti, the owner of Passopisciaro who sadly passed away in 2021. And thanks to his foresight and capacity to think outside the box, Etna gained a cult following amongst wine collectors and wine lovers everywhere: his efforts, coupled with those of Marc de Grazia and his outstanding Tenuta delle Terre Nere estate (Franchetti and De Grazia, both with a knack for communication and the world-wide contacts to make their wines relevant on an international scale), propelled Etna and its wines to the forefront of world wine quality production and into becoming the single hottest Italian wine for well over a decade.
