red grape · regional staple
Nerello Mascalese
Mascali plain, Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Say it
neh·rel·ohmas·kah·lay·zeh
Double-l in Nerello is geminate in Italian; English speakers can render it as a single l. Final -ese rhymes with 'days-eh'.
On the palate
Body
light medium
Acidity
high
Tannin
medium minus
Aromatics
medium
red cherryraspberrypomegranateroseblack peppersmoke
How you spot it blind: Volcanic smoke minerality over bright red cherry with fine-grained tannins
The story
First written down · 18th century, Sicily
DNA research in 2008 confirmed Nerello Mascalese as a natural cross of Sangiovese and Mantonico Bianco, named after the Mascali plain on Etna's eastern slopes.
Family tree: Sangiovese × Mantonico Bianco
Where it lives
Mount Etna, Sicily (Italy) · Calabria (Italy)
Shows up as
still redsparklingroséEtna Rosso DOCFaro DOC