Terra Costantino

Historic wine landscape

Winegrowing in the estate’s landscape predates TerraCostantino itself. Contrada Blandano retains extensive evidence of Etna’s rural wine culture, including a palmento bearing the date 1699 and another small palmento dating from the early eighteenth century. The latter probably served only a few neighbouring families and was subsequently adapted as a dwelling while its production spaces were preserved. The palmento tradition developed from the Roman torcularium, and wine production in the area is linked with Greek and Roman antiquity.

The historic process began when newly harvested grapes were unloaded from coffe, or baskets, into a masonry vat known as the pistu or ricivituri. Workers called pistaturi crushed the fruit, after which the must remained with the skins for alcoholic fermentation. The liquid then flowed to a lower level. The pomace was wrapped in strips of zammara agave secured with wooden nails, forming a cake that was pressed with the conzu: a large beam resting on a wooden disc and operated with a counterweight. Must was removed from the tina in iron amphora-shaped vessels called quattare, which also served to measure the volume produced.

1970: the family project begins

The Costantino family’s history at Contrada Blandano began in 1970. Dino Costantino became the family patriarch associated with the creation of the estate. The project grew around 10 ha at Viagrande, preserving historic vineyards, mixed cultivation, dry-stone lava walls, terraces and the old palmenti.

2000: organic certification

In 2000 TerraCostantino obtained organic certification, becoming the first winery on Etna to do so. Organic cultivation was integrated with the conservation of traditional terraces and bush-trained vines. The estate subsequently extended its approach from certified organic farming to environmental, social and economic sustainability under the Equalitas SOPD standard.

Underground winery and hospitality spaces

A modern underground winery and barrel cellar were created by following the contours of the existing rasole, the descending agricultural terraces. This design drew directly on the bioclimatic logic of old rural cellars, which were partly buried to remain cool. The soil surrounding the modern production and maturation spaces maintains approximately 15°C, providing natural ventilation and eliminating the need for artificial cooling. Construction materials were reused, waste was limited, and the above-ground portion became the estate’s hospitality area.

2018–2020: expansion to Contrada Praino

In December 2018 the family announced the acquisition of terraces at Contrada Praino in Milo. The new holding expanded TerraCostantino beyond Viagrande and created the basis for its first Etna Bianco Superiore. During January 2019 the family began restoring and redrawing the long-cultivated hillside terrace by terrace. In February it framed the project as a study of a second Etna contrada, combining soil, altitude, exposure, microclimate, local varieties and inherited human knowledge.

Planting work began in March 2019. The terraces were delimited and prepared to encourage rooting, support structures were installed, and young vines were set out. By June 2020, 2 ha had been planted exclusively to Carricante and trained as alberello. The rows were aligned toward the Mediterranean, and the first young leaves were visible by August. The choice of Milo reflected the family’s intention to explore the eastern slope and the historic zone associated with Etna Bianco Superiore.

2021–2023: establishment of the Milo vineyard

The main establishment work at Contrada Praino had been completed by 2021. During the October 2021 harvest at Blandano, the family symbolically joined its two vineyard areas by using an image of the Milo vineyard on the harvest shirts. By November, the restored terraces and young vineyard had entered a period of natural development.

The 2022 harvest was presented as an intergenerational family occasion through which practical knowledge, memories and local narratives pass from one generation to the next. In May 2022 the family continued rebuilding the steep, sometimes narrow terraces that make cultivation at Praino a form of heroic viticulture.

In July 2023 green pruning was carried out on the young alberello vines. Heavy rain in May and June had created severe downy-mildew pressure; close vineyard attention kept the young planting protected, although a production reduction was anticipated.

TerraCostantino lies on Etna’s south-eastern and eastern slopes, between the volcano and the Ionian Sea. Its vineyards occupy Contrada Blandano at Viagrande and Contrada Praino at Milo. The landscape offers views from the smoking volcanic cone to the Mediterranean and is organised into contrade: geographically confined areas distinguished by microclimate, soil organic characteristics, sun exposure and exposure to wind.

The vineyards rise from approximately 450 to 550 m above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean, with cool-temperate winters, warm summers, substantial day–night temperature variation and intense but short-lived rainfall. Average temperatures are 12–14°C in winter and 26–28°C in summer. Proximity to both mountain and sea creates windy conditions that reduce humidity and disease pressure. Abundant light and sunny days support grape ripening.

Soils are sandy and volcanic, with iron, copper, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, plus traces of calcium and nitrogen. Their high drainage capacity helps maintain dry vineyard conditions. A geological section approximately 6 m deep beneath the estate reveals millennia of lava strata and exposed roots from the vines growing overhead.

More than 100 terraces retained by dry-stone lava walls climb the slopes. The estate regards terroir as more than physical conditions: soil composition, altitude, exposure and microclimate interact with native vine genetics and the accumulated knowledge of generations of Etna growers.

TerraCostantino has farmed organically under certification since 2000 and works with Ecogruppo Italia as its control body. It was the first Etna winery to receive organic certification. Its wine documentation carries organic code IT-BIO-008, while the broader sustainability programme is certified under Equalitas SOPD, certificate CC/083.

The vineyards combine alberello and spurred-cordon training at densities of 4,000–6,500 vines per hectare. Historic vines, including century-old material, are maintained on traditional chestnut stakes. More than 100 terraces and their dry-stone lava walls are integral to cultivation on the slopes.

Mixed farming surrounds the vineyards. Wild herbs, medicinal plants, olive trees and more than 20 fruit-tree species create a diverse garden-like ecosystem. Named trees include walnut, pomegranate, fig, apricot, kiwi, strawberry tree, olive, chestnut, apple, persimmon, almond, orange, lemon and mandarin. The property also contains an old chestnut described as only slightly younger than the Castagno dei Cento Cavalli at Sant’Alfio.

Green manure is practised annually: several plant species are sown, their biomass is shredded and then incorporated into the soil as natural fertiliser. Grape pomace is returned to the land as a soil amendment after harvest. Vineyard care and ripening operations are performed almost entirely by hand, reducing diesel use, and harvesting is completely manual. At Contrada Praino, green pruning and close monitoring were used in 2023 to protect young vines during severe downy-mildew pressure.

Production takes place beside the vineyards in an underground winery and barrel cellar. Both spaces open directly onto soil sections and remain at approximately 15°C through contact with the surrounding ground. This provides natural ventilation and removes the need for artificial cellar cooling.

The structure was built into the descending rasole, following the bioclimatic precedent of Etna’s partly buried historic cellars. Construction materials were reused to minimise waste, while hospitality areas occupy the emerging portion above the production spaces.

The estate’s annual output is approximately 85,000 bottles. Production operations include grape crushing and vinification, with Luca D’Attoma responsible for oenology and agronomy and Salvo Spampinato responsible for production and cellar work. Grapes are harvested entirely by hand.

Environmental measures extend through production and packaging. Approximately 1.4 million litres of winery wash water and rainwater are recovered and reused each year. Solar-thermal panels serve the estate buildings, and purchased electricity comes exclusively from renewable sources. Bottles weigh approximately 400 g to reduce transport emissions; closures are natural cork and shipping cartons use recycled paper.

TerraCostantino defines its work through the relationship between inherited Etna practices and measured cellar innovation. The family seeks to express individual contrade through native varieties, historic terraces and alberello vines while using modern technical knowledge where it supports precision and environmental responsibility.

Its understanding of terroir includes both natural and human elements. Soil, altitude, exposure, microclimate and vine genetics are inseparable from the experience transmitted by earlier generations of growers. Old palmenti, dry-stone walls and rural architecture are therefore treated as working sources of knowledge rather than decorative relics.

Organic certification alone is not considered sufficient to define sustainability. The estate extends its programme to biodiversity, water reuse, renewable energy, efficient architecture, lighter packaging, employee welfare, local employment, supplier engagement and dialogue with neighbouring communities. Its formal policy identifies ethics, long-term financial resilience, innovation, protection of workers, responsible supply chains, local socio-economic development, environmental protection and transparency as core principles.

Hospitality is conceived as another means of sharing the landscape and its culture. Vineyard walks, the historic palmenti, the underground geological section, local food and family narratives connect wine with the place and the people who cultivate it.