On one of our last days in the Mt. Etna region of Sicily, we visited a small but historic winery named Terra Costantino. It is owned and operated by the father and son team of Dino and Fabio Costantino. A friend of ours in the New York City area (and whose cousin owns the B&B we stayed at in Catania... no, you can't make this stuff up) is the US importer for their wines. Here are Dino and Fabio.....
Shame on us, because you should always call ahead when visiting a winery in Sicily, we arrived at Terra Costantino unannounced. We introduced ourselves, and although they were very busy, they took the time to show us around their vineyard, and what a story it has to tell. There is an old stone "Cantina" on the property, where wine was made over two hundred years ago.....
They explained how field workers would gather grapes in wicker-type baskets and then dump the grapes through an opening into the building, where they would be crushed by foot.....
After the crushing, the big cakes of "must" were further crushed by this ancient wooden press, which they said was several hundred years old..... In the last two photos, Fabio is standing in the area where the grapes were crushed by foot.....
The juice was put into wooden barrels and carried by donkeys to storage facilities on the property. Rainwater was collected off the roof of the building where it ran into this well..... Donkeys were led through an opening in the lower level to a trough where they could drink, before carrying their precious cargo through this arch to the "donkey road", as Fabio called it......
Dino and Fabio are building a new Cantina and tasting room, and to create a driveway to reach it, they have had to cut through a section of the vineyard, which provides a wonderful viticultural cross-section. You can see there is only about one meter of soil before reaching volcanic stone. The roots of the vines struggle down through this stone for vitality, and that is what gives the wines their particular flavors and aromas.....
We purchased two bottles of wine, an Etna Rosso and a Rosato, or Rose' Both were excellent, and you can see the image of the old wooden wine press on the bottle of Etna Rosso. The other bottle shows a flower that is particular to this area of Sicily.....
It was an honor to meet Dino and Fabio Costantino. They are very proud of their property, their history, and their wines. They didn't have to take time to show us around, but they did, and for that we are grateful. Our visit concluded with hugs and kisses, invitations to return, and promises that we would. Yet another episode showing the grace, passion, and charm of the people of this fascinating island.....
