Terre Nere 2018
19 October 2020

Like never before, 2018 was a year of sacrifices and difficult choices for Tenuta delle Terre Nere. In the end this led to a great result though, in general, Terre Nere’s 2018 reds have a lower alcohol content and higher acidities than the average of the last few years. The colours are very vivid, due to low pH levels, and the wines are beautifully fragrant and delicate. Structurally they are elegant Etna Rossos showing great poise and drinkability, parading all of those uniquely uplifting “Etna” aromatics that have earned the wines such critical acclaim over the years. The 2018 growing Season    Read More

The vintage was characterised by a very mild winter, with temperatures that barely ever fell below zero. A water deficit that had started in the Summer 2017, dragged on until the end of March 2018. There was a return of cold weather in the second half of March and budding therefore occurred slightly later than in 2017. Rain fell abundantly between the end of April and the beginning of May, benefitting the parched younger vines in particular. In the second half of May the temperatures progressively increased without overly sharp rises. Unfortunately, that temperature rise was accompanied by the total absence of rainfall for over one month, which led to the first cases of water stress of the year in the young vines planted in shallower soils. Concerns grew after warmth in the first half of June aggravated the drought, but ten days of rain followed mid-month which completely rehydrated the soils, and plants resumed their vegetative growth. The summer carried on in topsy turvy fashion with temperatures rising sharply in July, followed by heavy rainfall in the second week of August and a consequent reduction in temperature, especially during the night. Rapid vegetation growth and bunch swelling ensued. Bunch thinning was carried out at the end of the month to ensure maximum vineyard health. September brought high weather pressure and clear, dry days with higher temperatures. Intermittent rainfall allowed ripening to continue.

Just when all was calm travesty struck some growers in October. A devastating hailstorm hit the south-west slope of Etna and, in some cases, destroyed entire crops. Luckily Terre Nere, on the northern face of Etna, escaped the hail entirely but were not spared the rainfall that came with the storms. Grape ripening proceeded very slowly and was irregular, particularly in the more fertile plots. The harvest started eight days later than in 2017. The heterogeneous grapes forced a sharp selection in the vineyards, with gradual harvests in the same “Contrada” or even in the same vineyard. This inevitably meant a significant but worthwhile loss of production, which proved the key element to the vintage and made all of the difference to the final quality of the wines.

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