Carricante

VIVC records Carricante as variety number 2126 under the prime name Carricante, with a white berry skin (blanc). Italy is its likely country of origin. Carricante's parents are Strinto Porcino and Visparola, a pedigree confirmed by markers. The 2021 study 'Parentage Atlas of Italian Grapevine Varieties as Inferred From SNP Genotyping', published in Frontiers in Plant Science, lists Carricante among the offspring of Strinto Porcino and Visparola and adds that Carricante 'is today one of the main white varieties in the wine area around the volcano Etna, in Sicily.' Carricante has offspring of its own, and VIVC-derived lineage data list Minutolo as a half-sibling.

• VIVC variety number 2126; prime name Carricante; berry skin colour white (blanc); likely country of origin Italy
• Pedigree: Strinto Porcino x Visparola, confirmed by markers
• Half-sibling in VIVC-derived data: Minutolo

Carricante is an ancient white grape variety that has always been grown on the slopes of the volcano, and its name derives from the Sicilian expression 'u carricanti', which underlines the abundant production of its plants. It was vinified for a long time with other varieties grown on Mount Etna, such as Catarratto, Minnella Bianca and Inzolia, before it became clear that it can go solo, and today it is increasingly vinified as a single variety. Benanti's own site states that since 1988 Giuseppe Benanti has aspired to demonstrate the high potential of Carricante grown in Milo, and Decanter's Jason Millar writes that Etna's modern quality revolution 'arguably began with white wine and, above all, Benanti’s Pietra Marina, first made in the 1990 vintage.'

• Long vinified with Catarratto, Minnella Bianca and Inzolia; today increasingly vinified as a single variety
• Benanti's Pietra Marina was first made in the 1990 vintage

Jancis Robinson's site sums up Carricante as a 'Zesty eastern Sicilian which can make wines worth ageing on Etna.' Decanter's Jason Millar writes that 'It is Carricante’s thrilling acidity that defines the Superiore wines of Etna’s east slope'.

On Etna's eastern slope, which overlooks the Ionian Sea and is the most exposed to rain and winds, bush vines are cultivated on small terraces up to 900 metres above sea level and the white grape Carricante is dominant. Within the Etna DOC, Carricante reaches high altitudes, even higher than those reached by Nerello Mascalese. Production of Etna Bianco Superiore is reserved for Milo. Benanti's Pietra Marina vineyard lies in Contrada Rinazzo, on the eastern slope within the municipality of Milo, facing east towards the Ionian sea at c. 800 m on small lava-stone-walled terraces of sandy volcanic soil. Volcanic soils have made Etna's vines immune to phylloxera, and its ancient vineyards, some more than a century old, are often ungrafted.

• Etna Bianco Superiore: from Milo only
• Eastern slope: bush vines on small terraces up to 900 metres, with Carricante dominant
• Contrada Rinazzo, Milo: Benanti's Pietra Marina vineyard at c. 800 m on lava-stone-walled terraces

Benanti describes its Pietra Marina as pale yellow with greenish nuances, with notes of orange blossom flowers and ripe apple on the nose, and a dry, mineral palate with a pleasantly high acidity, saline notes and an after taste reminiscent of anise and almond.

For Pietra Marina, Benanti harvests by hand after mid-October, ferments for about 12 days at a controlled temperature in a stainless steel vat with its own Carricante-specific indigenous yeast, selected from local vineyards, and matures the wine in stainless steel on the fine lees for about 30 months, with frequent bâtonnages, before 12 months in bottle. For its Etna Bianco, Benanti harvests by hand after the first ten days of October and ferments for about 15 days at about 18°C in steel tanks with selected indigenous yeasts, then leaves the wine on the fine lees for some months before bottling. Since the 1980s some wineries have made white and rosé sparkling wines based on Carricante and on Nerello Mascalese vinified as a white wine.

• Benanti Pietra Marina: about 12 days' fermentation in stainless steel with Benanti's own indigenous yeast, about 30 months on the fine lees, then 12 months in bottle
• Benanti Etna Bianco: about 15 days' fermentation at about 18°C in steel, some months on the fine lees, about 2 to 3 months in bottle
• Sparkling: since the 1980s some wineries have made white and rosé spumante based on Carricante and on Nerello Mascalese vinified as a white wine

Benanti's Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore is 100% Carricante from Contrada Rinazzo, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna within the municipality of Milo, at c. 800 m. Tenuta delle Terre Nere first produced its Etna Bianco in 2005, from the native white grapes Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico and Minnella, with Carricante prevailing.

• Benanti Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore: 100% Carricante from Contrada Rinazzo, Milo, at c. 800 m (Benanti)
• Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco: first produced in 2005, with Carricante prevailing

Benanti pairs its Pietra Marina with fish and seafood, including elaborate recipes, and its Etna Bianco with fish and shellfish dishes. Tenuta delle Terre Nere pairs its Etna Bianco with fish, chicken and rabbit, with prosciutto and melon or salame and figs, and with fish first courses and risotto.

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=2126 ; https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.605934 ; https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Ff%252F6%252FD.b5bdd1dbb38eb7253e5a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/7z?mode=download ; https://thewinesofetna.com/wines/ ; https://thewinesofetna.com/terroir/ ; https://www.benanti.it/en/prodotto/pietra-marina/ ; https://www.benanti.it/prodotto/etna-bianco/ ; https://www.tenutaterrenere.com/vini/etna-bianco-doc/ Reference sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/carricante ; https://www.decanter.com/premium/etna-bianco-superiore-sicilys-volcanic-grand-cru-569660/ ; https://www.decanter.com/features/regional-profile-etna-sicily-245635/ Last verified 2026-10-19