Eduardo Torres Versante Nord Bianco 2024

Eduardo Torres Acosta is a Spanish winemaker from the Canary Islands who established his project on Mount Etna in Sicily in 2012, focusing on restoring old, high altitude vineyards. He farms organically with a strong emphasis on manual work, cover crops and minimal intervention. The Versante Nord parcels lie on Etna’s cooler northern slopes at around 750-950 metres, on sandy volcanic ash and stony soils. Despite their location, the wines are labelled IGT Terre Siciliane rather than Etna DOC, initially because winemaking took place off Etna and later by choice, allowing greater flexibility with blends and vineyard sites.

Versante Nord Bianco 2024 is a field blend of roughly 50-60% Minella with Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico and Inzolia. Hand harvested grapes are co-fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete, with around 2-5 days of skin contact, then aged for 6-8 months in a mix of concrete and large used oak. Unfined and unfiltered, it shows citrus, white peach, herbs and smoky mineral notes, pairing well with seafood, vegetable dishes and soft cheeses.