LE VIGNE DI ELI

When Marc de Grazia, founder of the celebrated Etna estate Tenuta delle Terre Nere, was offered two small vineyards in some of the volcano’s most distinguished sites, their diminutive scale reminded him of his young daughter, Elena—Eli to her family. He decided to create a new estate in her name, inviting her to draw the labels and dedicating a portion of the proceeds to Florence’s Meyer Children’s Hospital.

What began in 2006 as an intimate family project has since become a distinctive part of the Tenuta delle Terre Nere world. The estate remains deliberately small, with vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, within the territories of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo. Its holdings include parcels in the highly regarded contrade of Moganazzi–Volta Sciara and Calderara Sottana. These carefully selected sites are planted with Etna’s native grape varieties and include old vines, some more than 100 years of age. All are farmed organically.

Viticulture and winemaking are overseen by Calogero Statella, the long-standing vigneron at Tenuta delle Terre Nere. Under his direction, the wines combine the precision and focus associated with Etna’s finest terroirs with a softer, more immediately approachable character. They are generous and polished, with ripe fruit, creamy texture and an elegance that never feels forced—qualities that reflect de Grazia’s description of Etna as the “Burgundy of the Mediterranean”.

Annual production is limited to approximately 8,000 bottles across four wines, encompassing both red and white expressions.The Etna Bianco is produced from Carricante sourced from all three slopes that make up the Etna appellation. It is vibrant and expressive, with fleshy citrus fruit and a pronounced mineral character.

The Etna Rosso is drawn exclusively from vineyards in Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia on Etna’s northern slope, where higher elevations and cooler conditions tend to produce more structured reds. Aged in large-format oak, the blend also incorporates fruit from younger vines within the estate’s two contrada holdings.

Calderara Sottana is the estate’s flagship contrada wine. It comes from a tiny parcel of only a few thousand square metres, planted with vines more than a century old. Production is exceptionally limited—just one barrel—and the wine expresses the unmistakable dark minerality and structure of this stony terroir. The vineyard lies at approximately 700 metres above sea level on ancient pumice-rich soils.

Slightly lower down the slope, Moganazzi–Volta Sciara has long been regarded as one of the finest terroirs in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia, the largest viticultural area on Etna’s northern side. The estate produces only three barrels from these 70- to 80-year-old vines. The resulting wine is broader and more velvety in profile than Calderara Sottana, while retaining the precision and mineral definition characteristic of the northern slope.

Le Vigne di Eli may be small in scale, but its identity is unmistakable: exceptional vineyards, thoughtful craftsmanship and a deeply personal story, united in a project that continues to give something back.