Vajasindi Estate
Passopisciaro
The estate
On the northern slope of Etna, in the district of Passopisciaro in the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia, lies the Vajasindi Estate, with its 21 hectares of land. The vineyards extend on three terraces bordered by low wallsdry-stone walls, the first at 700 meters above sea level, the second and third at 620 meters above sea level.
Climate
Cold and snowy winters, cool springs and dry summers. Windy area and with the right degree of humidity.
10°C
21 °C
Exposure
In Solicchiata, the vineyards have mostly northeast and southwest orientations. At Passopisciaro the lay of the land is flat and the orientations are equally distributed between northwest, southeast and northeast-southwest.
Agronomic detail
Geology
Soil with volcanic origin. Its formation can be traced back to the crumbling of one or more types of lava of different ages, and from eruptive materials such as lapilli, ash and sand.
Training method
Average planting density 4,800 plants per hectare with yields of about 50-60 quintals per hectare. Espalier training system with spurred cordon pruning, with four spurs and two buds for each.
Cultivated varieties
Being a breezy area with just the right degree of humidity, it lends itself to the cultivation of red grape varieties that stand out for their elegance in the glass, such as Nerello Mascalese and Pinot Noir. The most widespread white grape variety, on the other hand, is Carricante.
THE PINOT NOIR CHALLENGE
Pinot Noir is one of the oenological challenges that has marked the path of Duca di Salaparuta. The key figure in this historic stage of the winery is Giacomo Tachis.
In 2003, when he first arrived on Mount Etna, he decided to explore the world of Pinot Noir, accepting the challenge to grow this variety, as noble as it is complex, in a new terroir still in its beginnings of what would, over the years, become a success of international scope.
Etna DOC
Lavico Rosso DOC and Lavico Bianco DOC have their roots in the volcano, products of a harsh but giving nature. The vineyards are cultivated on the northern slope of the volcano, in a special microclimate where the soil, formed by the crumbling of different types of lava and more recent eruptive materials such as lapillus, ash and sand, naturally offers intense, savory and fresh nuances to the wines.
