Wine Arcana

Grape

Nerello Mascalese

Nerello Mascalese is a dark-skinned Vitis vinifera grape most closely associated with the slopes of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily. It can make relatively pale reds with substantial tannin and acidity. The Italian Vitis Database reports modest anthocyanin pigmentation alongside a larger total phenolic content, helping explain why colour gives an incomplete impression of the wine's structure.

The name refers to Mascali, an old centre of viticulture on the mountain's eastern side. Cultivation also extends to the Messina area, where it contributes to Faro, elsewhere in Sicily, and across the Strait of Messina in Calabria.

The vine on Etna

Nerello Mascalese is vigorous and can produce a large crop, although productivity varies from year to year. Poor weather can leave small, incompletely developed berries, while excessive vigour can interfere with fruit set. Growers have traditionally used bush vines with short pruning; trellised systems also suit the variety when pruning keeps crop potential under control.

Its berries have substantial skins. The nursery Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo reports susceptibility to grey rot and sour rot in damp conditions, as well as stress under prolonged drought. A dry site still needs sufficient water to carry the vine through ripening. Bunches and ripening uniformity also vary among the material cultivated under the name.

Etna extends the season beyond the harvest dates familiar in warmer parts of Sicily. Its official geographical account places the start of Nerello harvesting generally in October, with the highest vineyards sometimes continuing into November. Elevation and exposure affect both the warmth available for ripening and the weather the fruit faces before picking.

Wine character and extraction

Red-fruit and floral impressions are common, with spice contributing in some wines. The combination of freshness and firm tannin can make young examples feel more forceful than their translucent colour suggests. Anthocyanins provide much of a young red wine's colour; tannins contribute a different property, the drying sensation called astringency.

Maceration extracts both groups of compounds from the grapes. The duration and intensity of skin contact therefore help shape the balance between fruit and grip. Maturation changes that balance further as pigments and tannins react and fresh-fruit aromas evolve. Wines made for earlier drinking and wines given longer maturation can both express the variety.

In blends and other styles

Etna Rosso and Rosato require at least 80% Nerello Mascalese. Nerello Cappuccio is a distinct grape permitted as a blending partner. The specification also requires at least 80% Nerello Mascalese for Etna's sparkling wines, which can be white or pink.1. Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste, Etna production specification, consolidated January 2022 and corrected March 2022, articles 1–2, accessed 9 September 2026. Pressing the dark grapes with little skin contact allows a pale juice to form the base of a white sparkling wine.

Sources