Etna Rosso 2024 by Planeta: Why Sicily’s Most Elegant Reds Don’t Need Heavy Oak
Mount Etna has become one of Italy’s most fashionable wine regions, and prices have risen accordingly. Yet some of its most rewarding bottles still cost less than a respectable village Burgundy. Planeta’s Etna Rosso 2024 belongs in that company: fragrant, nervy and subtly earthy, with the graceful structure of Nerello Mascalese and a distinctly Sicilian streak of wildness.
The wine comes from Feudo di Mezzo, on the volcano’s northern slopes, where black lava sands and cool mountain nights give the grapes a different character from the sun-drenched reds of western Sicily. Cherry, blood orange and wild rose lead the aromatic charge, while the palate is driven by fresh acidity, finely grained tannins and a savoury, faintly bitter finish.
There’s real charm here, but also a welcome touch of severity. Planeta hasn’t tried to make Etna taste like an international luxury red.
The Basics
- Producer: Planeta
- Wine: Etna Rosso, Contrada Feudo di Mezzo
- Vintage: 2024
- Appellation: Etna Rosso DOC
- Region: Sicily, Italy
- Production area: Castiglione di Sicilia, northern Etna
- Grapes: 88% Nerello Mascalese, 12% Nerello Cappuccio
- Vineyard: Feudo di Mezzo
- Altitude: 610 metres
- Soils: Volcanic sand and weathered lava
- Viticulture: Organic, under the SOStain sustainability protocol
- Harvest: September 19–20 for Nerello Cappuccio; October 3–8 for Nerello Mascalese
- Vinification: Fermentation in wooden vats and stainless steel
- Maceration: 16–18 days for Nerello Mascalese; approximately 20 days for Nerello Cappuccio
- Ageing: 6–8 months in wood and stainless steel
- Alcohol: 13.5% ABV
- Bottle size: 750 ml
- Serving temperature: 16–18°C
- Ageing potential: Approximately 6–7 years
Planeta and the Northern Slopes of Etna
The Planeta family has played an important part in Sicily’s modern winemaking renaissance. From its original base in Menfi, the company expanded into several of the island’s most distinctive territories, including Vittoria, Noto and Mount Etna.
The Etna project centres on Feudo di Mezzo, near Castiglione di Sicilia. This is a landscape of black vineyards, old lava flows, woodland and stone terraces, with Mount Etna towering above everything.
At approximately 610 metres, the vines enjoy cooler conditions than most Sicilian vineyards. The porous volcanic soils drain rapidly, while the altitude helps preserve acidity during the long ripening season.
The 2024 vintage was particularly favourable here. A mild winter and spring were followed by well-distributed rainfall, and the estate reports production roughly 15% above its usual average. The grapes reached maturity without the severe water stress that can make warm Mediterranean vintages troublesome.
These conditions suit Nerello Mascalese, a grape whose translucent colour and delicate perfume conceal a surprisingly determined tannic structure.
Nerello Cappuccio represents just 12% of the blend, but adds a little colour, fruit and spice to Mascalese’s more angular frame.
How It’s Made
The two varieties are harvested separately. Nerello Cappuccio comes first, in late September, followed by Nerello Mascalese in early October.
The bunches are collected in small crates, cooled and sorted by hand before destemming. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks at temperatures reaching approximately 24°C.
The Nerello Mascalese remains on its skins for 16–18 days, while Nerello Cappuccio undergoes a slightly longer maceration of around 20 days. Manual punch-downs and pump-overs provide controlled extraction without forcing excessive weight from the grapes.
The wine then matures for six to eight months in wood and steel. There is no aggressive new-oak signature, and that restraint is essential to its character.
Etna Rosso has often been compared with Pinot Noir, largely because of its transparent colour, floral perfume and relatively slender build. But Nerello Mascalese has its own personality: more Mediterranean, frequently more tannic, with a wild herbal character that Burgundy rarely reproduces.
Planeta preserves those distinctions rather than sanding them away.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Brilliant ruby red, transparent at the rim, with luminous garnet reflections. Elegant rather than densely pigmented.
Bouquet: Sour cherry and blood orange open the nose, followed by wild rose, dried thyme and a delicate peppery accent. There is a faint suggestion of warm earth and crushed volcanic stone, although the wine’s appeal lies more in its fragrance than in any theatrical display of smokiness. With air, the cherry grows darker and the floral notes become more delicate.
Palate: Lively, taut and remarkably fluent. The opening has juicy red fruit, but the wine soon reveals its firmer side: finely textured tannins, brisk acidity and a savoury streak that cuts through the flesh of the vintage. Blood orange and cherry return alongside dried herbs and a touch of liquorice. The texture is supple without being soft, and the moderate weight allows every detail to remain visible.
Finish: Dry, persistent and faintly bitter, with echoes of cherry skin, orange zest and black pepper. The tannins leave a gentle, slightly dusty grip that invites another sip.
Our Verdict
Planeta Etna Rosso 2024 is a spirited and convincing interpretation of the appellation. Its fruit is vivid, the tannins have character, and the acidity gives the wine a wonderfully agile rhythm.
It lacks the haunting depth of the finest single-contrada Etna reds, but at around €20 it would be unreasonable to demand such grandeur. Compared with the more rustic Nireddu 2016 from Calcagno, Planeta offers a cleaner, more polished expression of the volcano, without losing the savoury bite that makes Nerello Mascalese so attractive.
A lovely bottle, and a persuasive reminder that Sicilian red wine need not be massive to be memorable.
Price
€20.00.
Food Pairings
Paella, vitello tonnato, chicken curry, pulled pork, empanadas, hamburgers.
