N.V. Frank Cornelissen Munjebel Bianco 5

Frank Cornelissen is one of the most original viticulturists working anywhere on the planet. That he is making internationally noteworthy wines on some of the steepest northern slopes of Sicily’s active volcano, Mt. Etna, is only part of what makes him so singular. His farming philosophy mandates stunningly low yields from ungrafted, 100-year-old vines, and his viticultural practices push the boundaries of “natural” and “hands-off” winemaking into new territory. His wines are unapologetically unfiltered and he adds no sulfites. His reds are aged in large, clay amphorae that harken back to winemaking of the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians. His whites are aged in big plastic containers to avoid any flavors from barrels. Cornelissen, a self-taught winemaker, is Belgian by birth and has been farming 30 acres of vineyards, and a few additional acres of olive orchards, only since the early 2000s. He grows indigenous red and white grapes, and his signature wine is the Magma Rosso made of 100% Nerello Mascalese from vines that are at least 100 years old. Most of his reds are part or entirely Nerello Mascalese. His whites are blends of Grecanico Dorato, Carricante and Coda di Volpe. Among Cornelissen’s many idiosyncrasies are labels that can change from year to year – he currently seems to favor black, information-heavy labels featuring retro fonts – and in some years he declines to put the vintage on his bottles, naming them “editions” instead. Nevertheless, he has earned a cult following. Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator has called Cornelissen, with admiration, a member of the “Crazy Club.” Kramer wrote: “Winegrowers like Mr. Cornelissen are now stretching our understanding of “greatness.” Mr. Cornelissen’s best red wine, Magma, is like no other version of Nerello Mascalese, nor any other red wine of my experience. It does deliver the complexity and characterfulness conventionally understood as a prerequisite to the acclamation “great.”

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and, with its 329,000 vineyard acres, Italy’s largest wine region by acreage and the quantity of wine produced. Nevertheless, only 2.1% of all Sicilian wine is DOC, or wine made according to appellation standards. Until the 1970s Sicilian wine grapes either went to make Marsala, the sweet dessert wine introduced by 18th century British wine merchants, or to cooperatives that specialized in bulk wine production. But in 1968 Sicily was awarded its first DOC, which was the Etna DOC on the southern slopes of Mt. Etna, and today there are 19 DOCs. Along with the Maremma on Tuscany’s western coast, Sicily is considered the most exciting winemaking region in Italy. Longtime family agricultural estates are being turned into high quality commercial wineries, and because land prices are low compared to other parts of Italy, enterprising young winemakers and viticulturalists – many of whom practice organic and sustainable farming – have started wineries in Sicily. Marsala is still produced, and the Marsala business is one reason why 60% of Sicily’s vineyards are planted to Catarratto, the white grape used as a base for Marsala. But dry white wines are made from Inzolia, Malvasia, Zibbio and Chardonnay. But it is Sicily’s big, complex red wines that are grabbing the attention of wine enthusiasts. Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most common red grape, and it produces rich, somewhat spicy wines. Other red grapes are Nerello Mascalese, Frappato and French varietals.