Nuzzella was founded in 2014 when Nicola Oteri and his wife Norma purchased an old olive grove and vineyard planted to native varieties of nerello mascalese and carricante. Thus began the difficult and exciting work of recovering the 4ha of abandoned land.

The vineyard is characterised by the combination of two distinct soils: the “white lands”—sedimentary rocks not involved in lava eruption and the “black lands”—the result of lava flows that have occurred over time. The locals chris- tened this tongue of lava-based soils “terremorte” (dead lands) in reference to the powerful red river.

Nicola and Norma farm organically and utilise the growth of local legumes and grasses to encourage biodiversity and natural pest control.

The wine

Not rose, but rosato—wildly delicious, but as serious as Christopher Walken. Made from two picks, one on 1 Sep for crispness, the next on 1 Oct for ripeness, it breathes freely during barrel ferment imbuing a generous texture. It then slumbers in stainless for nine months before bottling. 750ml of pure joy.