Wine for the Naturalist

The more time that progresses, the more that it becomes accepted to use what are sometimes described as techniques to improve winemaking and thus wine. What remains frowned upon are artificial flavors and the addition of non-grape fruits to impart flavors, but other techniques that we have learned about are considered mainstream.

Today, we are off to Sicily, high up on the steep slopes of Mount Etna. Here, a Belgian winemaker, somewhat of an oddity in the wine world, named Frank Cornelissen decided that this is the place to make great wine as naturally as it was made hundreds of years ago. 

We were here previously in July to taste Nerello Mascallese and that is also the grape we are tasting today. But, this is different. 

Most Nerello Mascallese is produced in Sicily. It's a grape much like Pinot Noir in many ways, but with far more Italian seasonings. We'll get lots of thyme and oregano as well as rosemary, coriander, sage, and perhaps some allspice. Think New York style pizza if you have never ventured out of the US or Sicilian pizza if you've experienced it. And, not coincidentally, the traditional pairing is with a Sicilian Pizza.

This is a small vineyard planted in not surprisingly highly volcanic soil. Only about 2.5 hectares (roughly 6.25 acres), it's planted with free-standing, ungrafted old vines (60-90 years old). There is no facy trellising done here.

One of the benefits of the natural process is the lack of inbreeding or any form of scientific breeding. So, not surprisingly, these grapes are extremely disease-resistant.

These wines are made without the benefit of sulfur dioxide (if you get headaches from sulfites, this wine will test whether they are really from sulfites), the excess material from grapes is extracted from the must only after malolactic fermentation has been completed, and maceration is long.

Fermentation is done in neither the bottle nor on oak. Just as in ancient times when no other alternative was known, these wines are fermented in amphora casks made of terra cotta. These amphora do not impart tannins as wood does. They also leave the color of the wine unchanged. Evaporation is, if anything, more rapid.

So, while the process is natural, it's not ideal for the consumer. This is a horribly expensive process attempting to make great wine without the benefif of modern intervention.

I've never had this wine called Magma and I don't expect I ever will. But, you can enjoy it for under $300 per bottle. No, I'm not kidding; prices come in at just under $300 and Mr. Cornellisen is not getting wealthy from them.

Reviews of this wine suggest that it might (well ... ) just be worth it for the experience. The wines are described as earthy, spicy, and brooding with lots of plum and secondary raisin and fig. Some tasters have said that the finish goes on for a full 90 seconds constantly evolving. If money were no object, I would invest in a case (curiously, a case contains 9 bottles), drink one bottle almost immediately and open another every two to three years. Sadly, this will not happen.