North Etna, Sicily, Italy
Wines by Carmelo Vecchio and Rosa La Guzza
Varietals and key wines include; Nerello Mascalese, Carricante, Sciare Vive, Friera and Malpasso
Situated on the northern slopes of Mount Etna near Castiglione di Sicilia, Vigneti Vecchio is the project of husband-and-wife team Carmelo Vecchio and Rosa La Guzza, whose roots in Etna viticulture stretch back generations. Before launching the estate, Carmelo spent fifteen years working at the renowned Passopisciaro winery, gaining invaluable experience before taking over Rosa’s family vineyards and producing the estate’s first commercial wines in 2016.
The estate farms organically by hand across a collection of small, high-altitude vineyards on Etna’s northern face, where elevations range from around 490 to 850 metres above sea level. The vineyards are planted predominantly to Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, alongside a mix of traditional local varieties, with many parcels rooted in ancient volcanic soils formed from decomposed lava, ash and mineral-rich sands. Some of the estate’s oldest vines are over 120 years old, a rarity even on Etna, contributing concentration, complexity and a profound sense of place to the wines.
In the cellar, Carmelo and Rosa take a minimal-intervention approach, favouring indigenous yeast fermentations, gentle extraction and maturation in concrete, stainless steel and other neutral vessels. Many wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, allowing the purity of fruit, freshness and distinctive volcanic minerality of North Etna to shine through.
Today, Vigneti Vecchio produces a focused range of wines that capture the diversity of Etna’s northern slopes, from the vibrant Sciare Vive Bianco and Rosato to the estate Etna Rosso and the single-contrada bottlings Friera and Malpasso. Together, they offer a compelling expression of one of Italy’s most exciting wine regions, combining old vines, volcanic terroir and traditional Etna winemaking with remarkable elegance and precision.
