A masterpiece from Stef Yim, the first winemaker in Hong Kong to set up his own vineyard and winery, on the Etna volcano in Sicily, Italy, using organic methods and nature to brew the purest and most natural red wine.
Since the vines are grown at an altitude of more than 700 meters and are very old (Stef Yim also has 980 and 1200 works, etc.), the large temperature difference between day and night drives the grapes to be forced to adapt to different environmental changes. Next to the Etna volcano, natural resources are abundant and The soil is fertile and produces super high quality grapes. The arable area of Etna Volcano yields very limited but high quality. In this Azienda Agricola Sciara 760, you can definitely experience the local terroir and the winemaker's persistence and taste for nature.
760 meters is a blend of Contrada Sciaranuova and Taccione grapes.
Tasting Notes: Opens with aromas of volcanic rock and dried berries. The wine slowly develops flavors of roasted cherries and chestnuts.
The wine is well balanced and rich. Attractive flavors of wild berries and cherries complement red fruit with firm minerality and a long finish.
Recommended pairing: barbecue, beef, roast pigeon, etc.
Annual output: Only 4170 bottles.
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Winemaker Background:
Born in Hong Kong, Stef grew up in Los Angeles where he became a Sommelier at top restaurants. He quickly became fascinated with wines from volcanic soils, after wines from these soils repeatedly beat Grand Cru Burgundy and other cult wines in his blind tastings.
To learn winemaking, Stef worked for wineries in Lake County (US), Madiran (France) and the Canary Islands (Spain), before purchasing a plot of land in Contrada Taccione on Mount Etna and built his own winery in 2014 (Azienda Agricola Sciara). Nowadays, he owns land in nine different Contrada, including some of the most famous and well known ones: Barbabecchi, Feudo di Mezzo, Rampante, Sciaranuova, Tartaraci and others.
Stef's winemaking is organic and low-intervention, with natural yeast fermentation, no filtration and chemical additions. Depending upon the grape, terroir, and vintage characteristics, a different mix of vessels (from barriques, ceramic tanks, glass fibre tanks, clay pots, glass demijohn) and winemaking methods are employed to make the best wine.
He has an unique vision of what Etna wines are: he makes wines which express the characteristics of Etna at different altitudes. Instead of making single Contrada wines, wines from Sciara are labelled according to their average altitudes above sea levels: 760 m, 980 m, and 1200 m. For example, 760 m is a blend of grapes from Contrada Sciaranuova and Taccione, 980 m is a blend of grapes from Contrada Carrana, Monte Dolce, and Barbabecchi, but 1200 m is a single Contrada wine (Nave).