red grape · near-extinct
Minella Nera
Sicily, Italy
Say it
mee·nel·lahneh·rah
Stress on second syllable of each word; name derives from Sicilian 'minna' (breast), describing the elongated berry shape
On the palate
strawberryraspberryred cherryrose
How you spot it blind: delicately fragrant, pale ruby from centenarian alberello vines on extreme-altitude Etna
The story
A near-vanished Etna indigenous variety, excluded from Etna DOC and released as Sicily IGT, preserved in centenarian alberello field blends by producers Salvo Foti (I Vigneri) and Frank Cornelissen.
Where it lives
Mount Etna, Sicily
Shows up as
still redrosé