THE WINES
Ballasanti production is focused on three monovarietal and two CRU wines, Nerello Mascalese for the reds and Carricante for the whites.
Ballasanti benefits from its collaboration with the Piedmontese winemaker, Luca Caramellino, who finds his own values reflected in the poetry of Ballasanti’s project and, in the slopes of Etna, something worthy of sinking his teeth (and his undisputed experience and vision) into.
There are three vineyards in production:
The Tenace Vineyard
at Contrada Chiusitti, consisting of 3 hectares of vineyards in a 6-hectare property in the Etna DOC regionsaint. Lying 850 meters above sea level and immediately east of the SP 59III leading to Linguaglossa, it is right on the wine route. The vineyard is exposed to the east, with Carricante grapes planted according to the Guyot training method, producing our whites: the Donna Manuela CRU which will be released in 2025 and the Etna Bianco DOC.
The volcanic soil is rich in potassium and iron.
GMaps coordinates: 37°44’31.6″N 15°09’33.6”E
Donna Manuela
coming out in 2025
The Sublime Vineyard
consists of 2 hectares, in the San Basilio parish of Piedimonte Etneo, 600 metres above sea level. It lies in the Etna DOC region and has cultivated the Nerello Mascalese grape in three-branch sapling vines for over 50 years. The traditional sapling cultivation makes this vineyard a truly rare gem. These plants have been rooted in the black and red volcanic soil over decades and their generative power is given full expression in Nerello, giving rise to two wines, the Etna Rosso DOC and the Donna Mara CRU which will be released at the end of 2025.
GMaps coordinates: 37.809569, 15.143331
Donna Mara
coming out in 2025
The Temerario Vineyard
is in the Ricceri Ciapparo neighbourhood of San Giovanni Montebello and is the historic vineyard where everything started and where the company’s headquarters are based. It consists of 2.5 hectares lying 450 metres above sea level. This vineyard is tended by Don Angelo, Manuela’s grandfather. In 2013 Manuela opted to revamp it and together with Fabio, they decided to replant the three-branch sapling vineyard to restore its former beauty and to enhance as best as possible the richness of the volcanic soil, even if it lies outside the Etna DOC region.
This young Nerello Mascalese vineyard produces the Sicilia Doc Nerello Mascalese.
GMaps coordinates: 37.742021, 15.159547