On the northeast flank of Etna, where lava-black soils meet ancient white sedimentary rock, Nicola Oteri created Nuzzella in 2014 with a single ambition: to make honest, site-expressive wine from one of the most electrically charged terroirs on earth.
Backstory
Nicola Oteri founded Nuzzella in 2014 after falling deeply in love with Etna and its wines. He began by restoring existing vineyards in Contrada Selmo, near the town of Piedimonte Etneo, working with 1.6 hectares from the outset. The first harvest, in 2015, produced just 2,000 bottles of traditional-method sparkling Nerello Mascalese. The estate has grown steadily since then, expanding to 4 hectares and six distinct labels, with annual production now around 15,000 bottles.
The Region
Nuzzella sits on Etna's northeast slope at approximately 500 meters above sea level, at the boundary between Piedimonte Etneo and Linguaglossa. The landscape here is defined by two very different soil types: the "terre bianche," pale sedimentary rocks carved by ancient watercourses and never covered by lava, and the "terre nere," the dark volcanic soils laid down by successive eruptions. This interplay between the ancient and the volcanic gives the wines a distinctive mineral complexity.
Vineyards and Farming
The 4-hectare Nuzzella estate is farmed organically, without herbicides or synthetic chemicals. Copper and sulfur are used only when strictly necessary. Vines are trained in espalier at a density of approximately 5,000 plants per hectare. All work in the vineyard is manual and continuous throughout the year. The estate plants Nerello Mascalese and Carricante as its primary varieties, alongside Catarratto, all indigenous to eastern Sicily.
Winemaking
In the Nuzzella cellar, Oteri lets the wines find their own path. Fermentation is spontaneous, carried out by native yeasts with no temperature control. The winemaking is non-interventionist: no fining, no filtration, and minimal sulfur across the range. Macerations vary by wine, from the brief skin contact of the rosato to the extended skin time used in some of the reds.
The Wines
Nuzzella produces six labels. 'Selmo' is the Etna Rosso flagship, a Nerello Mascalese vinified from the Contrada Selmo parcel. 'Acchiana' is a second Etna Rosso offering. 'Scarinà' is a Nerello Mascalese rosato. 'Etman' is a white wine from Carricante. 'Una Giornata al Mare' is a small-production skin-contact white. The 'Blanc de Noir' is a traditional-method sparkling wine aged 24 to 36 months on lees, the project that started it all.
