About the winery
We are at the foot of Mount Etna, less than 500 metres above sea level, and 30 metres away from the ancient Cuba di Santa Domenica, a rare and wonderful Byzantine jewel, and the river Alcantara. Monteleone vineyards are located on the northern slope of Mount Etna, in two different districts: Cuba and Pontale Palino. The territorial differences between the two districts are deep, this is the reason why the vinification of each lot was carried out separately: therefore, each label represents a single vineyard. In Contrada Cuba the lots planted with vines are two: about a hectare and a half is trained in the espalier system and dates back to 1970; the remaining 5000 metres are head-trained vines (vite ad alberello, the traditional training system of the Etnean vine), and date back to 1935. The grapes are the local Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio. In Contrada Pontale Palino, about 700 metres above sea level, we also own about 3000 metres of pre-phylloxera bush-trained ungrafted vines, and we aim at defending their immense genetic heritage in the years to come.
