Signum Aetnae Riserva
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 8–20 years from the vintage release, showing exceptional aging potential.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted wild boar, slow-cooked lamb shanks, aged pecorino cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the high-altitude slopes of Mount Etna, Firriato's Signum Aetnae Riserva is a monumental tribute to the wild, volcanic terroir of Sicily. This rare cuvée is sourced from the Cavanera Etnea estate in Contrada Verzella, where centenarian, pre-phylloxera vines—some over 150 years old—survive in sandy, ash-rich volcanic soils. These ancient, self-rooted bush vines yield incredibly concentrated fruit. The wine represents the 'seal' of the volcano, capturing the intense minerality, smoky undertones, and ethereal elegance unique to Etna's extreme viticulture. Aged meticulously in wooden casks and refined in the bottle, it displays a complex aromatic profile of dark red berries, wild herbs, graphite, and exotic spices, underpinned by a vibrant acidity and refined tannins that reflect its historic heritage.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1984 by Salvatore Di Gaetano and Vinzia Novara, Firriato has grown to become an architectural pillar of contemporary Sicilian viticulture. The estate stewards hundreds of hectares across Sicily's most ecologically distinct macro-zones: the sun-drenched, clay-limestone hills of the Trapani countryside (such as Baglio Sorìa and Borgo Guarini), the maritime Quaternary calcarenites of Favignana Island, and the high-elevation volcanic sands of Cavanera Etnea on Mount Etna. Viticulture is entirely certified organic and managed under a pioneering zero-carbon-impact philosophy. In the cellar, temperature-controlled stainless steel vinification preserves high-toned aromatic freshness, tension, and native varietal typicity before selective maturation in stainless steel or neutral wood. Firriato's white wine portfolio champions indigenous and naturalized cultivars—predominantly Grillo, Catarratto, and Zibibbo—yielding benchmark expressions like the saline, maritime-influenced Favinia La Muciara, the organic Caeles series, the floral Jasmin, and the radiant, naturally sun-dried Favinia Passule.
🍇 Grapes
Nerello Mascalese