Tenuta di Fessina

Tenuta di Fessina was launched in 2007 as the Etna project of Silvia Maestrelli, a Tuscan-born winemaker who had already established a reputation through her work at Villa Petriolo in Tuscany before falling for Sicily on a 2006 visit and committing to a new estate on Etna's northeast slope. The property she chose sits in the Rovittello frazione of Castiglione di Sicilia, the elevated north-east band where the volcano's lava substrates and altitude band meet the older traditional viticultural footprint of the appellation. The estate's name comes from the historic Vigne di Fessina parcels, the old-vine Nerello Mascalese vineyards in Rovittello that had been preserved by the local Musmeci family, in particular Ignazio Musmeci, whose long care for the vines made the modern commercial estate possible. Silvia's working partnership from the project's launch was with Federico Curtaz as consulting winemaker, and the Maestrelli-Curtaz axis defined the estate's stylistic line through the late 2000s and 2010s. Tenuta di Fessina rapidly became one of the modern Etna scene's most recognized cellars, with the Il Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva carrying the international flagship reputation and the Erse and A'Puddara ranges expanding the estate's commercial reach.

• Founded 2007 by Silvia Maestrelli, a Tuscan-born winemaker who came to Sicily in 2006 after a fall for the volcano's terroir and committed to a new estate on Etna's northeast slope
• Property in the Rovittello frazione of Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania province) on the volcano's northeast slope; estate name from the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' old-vine Nerello Mascalese parcels in Rovittello
• Working partnership from launch with Federico Curtaz as consulting winemaker; the Maestrelli-Curtaz axis defined the estate's stylistic line through the late 2000s and 2010s
• Rapidly became one of the modern Etna scene's most recognized cellars, with Il Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva carrying the international flagship reputation and the Erse and A'Puddara ranges expanding commercial reach

Silvia Maestrelli died unexpectedly in January 2022, an early loss for one of the modern Etna scene's most personally identified estates. The family has continued the project under Silvia's daughter Lavinia Silva, with Silvia's husband Roberto Silva remaining involved alongside her, and Federico Curtaz has remained the consulting winemaker. Roberto Silva also released a special-cuvée Il Musmeci Rosso Riserva Speciale in his own name as a tribute, drawn from selected barrels of the Musmeci programme. The family transition has preserved the estate's stylistic identity and viticultural direction without rupture, in a pattern parallel to the recent generational continuity at Romeo del Castello (Rosanna Romeo to her daughter Chiara Vigo) and broadly characteristic of the modern Etna scene's family-anchored estate model. The Il Musmeci, Erse, and A'Puddara wines have continued in market in the years since with no significant deviation from the pre-2022 stylistic anchors.

• Silvia Maestrelli died unexpectedly in January 2022, an early loss for one of the modern Etna scene's most personally identified estates
• Estate continues under Silvia's daughter Lavinia Silva (with husband Roberto Silva remaining involved); Federico Curtaz remains the consulting winemaker, preserving the cellar continuity
• Roberto Silva released a special Il Musmeci Rosso Riserva Speciale in his own name as a tribute, drawn from selected barrels of the Musmeci programme
• Family transition preserved the estate's stylistic identity and viticultural direction without rupture, in a pattern parallel to Romeo del Castello's generational continuity and the broader Etna family-anchored estate model

Tenuta di Fessina works two principal vineyard footprints across three of Mount Etna's slopes. The home block sits in Contrada Rovittello on the volcano's northeast slope at roughly 670 metres of elevation, comprising about 7 hectares of vineyards including the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' old-vine Nerello Mascalese parcels (with vines older than 80 years) that anchor the Il Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva. The second footprint is a smaller 2.5 hectare parcel split between Milo on the east slope and Santa Maria di Licodìa on the south slope at around 1000 metres, with parcels in Contrada Caselle (Milo, Carricante for the Il Musmeci Bianco Contrada Caselle) and Contrada Manzuedda (Biancavilla on the south slope, Carricante for the A'Puddara Etna Bianco). The multi-slope structure gives Tenuta di Fessina an unusual range across Mount Etna's three principal viticultural slopes, which is reflected in the wine portfolio's stylistic spread between the Rovittello-anchored reds and the east-and-south-slope whites. Vineyard work on the older Rovittello block follows the traditional Etna spurred-cordon and head-trained alberello styles inherited from the Musmeci-era preservation; the newer plantings on Milo and Manzuedda follow modern guyot and spurred-cordon training.

• Home block in Contrada Rovittello on Etna's northeast slope at roughly 670 metres elevation; about 7 hectares including the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' old-vine Nerello Mascalese parcels with vines older than 80 years
• Second footprint of about 2.5 hectares split between Milo (east slope, Contrada Caselle) and Santa Maria di Licodìa or Biancavilla (south slope, Contrada Manzuedda) at around 1000 metres
• Multi-slope structure gives the estate an unusual range across Mount Etna's three principal viticultural slopes, reflected in the portfolio's spread between Rovittello-anchored reds and east-and-south-slope whites
• Older Rovittello block follows traditional Etna spurred-cordon and head-trained alberello styles inherited from the Musmeci preservation; newer plantings on Milo and Manzuedda follow modern guyot and spurred-cordon training

Tenuta di Fessina's commercial portfolio organizes around three label families. Il Musmeci is the flagship cru tier: the Il Musmeci Etna Rosso DOC Riserva is a single-contrada Rovittello cru of Nerello Mascalese from the oldest 80-year-plus vines on the home block, dedicated to Ignazio Musmeci who preserved the historic vineyards; the Il Musmeci Bianco Contrada Caselle is a single-contrada Etna Bianco Superiore DOC from Milo Carricante on the east slope, sitting in the Milo-exclusive Bianco Superiore zone alongside the Benanti Pietra Marina reference. A'Puddara is a south-slope Carricante Etna Bianco DOC from Contrada Manzuedda at 900 metres of elevation, fermented in large oak in the older Etna tradition; the wine is named after the Pleiades constellation, called 'a' Puddara' (the hen) in Sicilian dialect. Erse is the entry tier across Rosso, Bianco, and Rosato: the Erse Etna Rosso DOC is a Nerello Mascalese plus Nerello Cappuccio blend in the historic field-blend tradition, the Erse Etna Bianco DOC blends Carricante from Caselle and Volpare in Milo with Manzuedda Carricante from Biancavilla, and the Erse Etna Rosato is predominantly Nerello Cappuccio with a touch of Nerello Mascalese. A separate Erse Rosso Contrada Moscamento 1911 is a small-volume single-vineyard release within the entry-tier label.

• Il Musmeci Etna Rosso DOC Riserva: flagship single-contrada Rovittello cru of Nerello Mascalese from the oldest 80-year-plus vines on the home block, dedicated to Ignazio Musmeci who preserved the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' vineyards
• Il Musmeci Bianco Contrada Caselle Etna Bianco Superiore DOC: single-contrada Carricante from Milo on the east slope, in the Milo-exclusive Bianco Superiore zone alongside the Benanti Pietra Marina reference
• A'Puddara Etna Bianco DOC: south-slope Carricante from Contrada Manzuedda at 900 metres, fermented in large oak in the older Etna tradition; named for the Pleiades constellation ('a' Puddara' or 'the hen' in Sicilian dialect)
• Erse entry tier: Erse Etna Rosso DOC (Nerello Mascalese plus Cappuccio blend), Erse Etna Bianco DOC (multi-source Carricante blend), Erse Etna Rosato (Nerello Cappuccio-led); separate Erse Rosso Contrada Moscamento 1911 is a single-vineyard release within the label

Tenuta di Fessina sits at the modern Etna scene's centre as the project that built one of the appellation's most recognizable commercial cellars on the back of the Maestrelli-Curtaz partnership and the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' Rovittello vineyards preserved by the Musmeci family. The estate's three-slope portfolio (Rovittello northeast, Milo east, Manzuedda south) is unusual on Etna, where most estates concentrate on one slope or contrada cluster, and the resulting stylistic spread across Il Musmeci Rosso, Il Musmeci Bianco Contrada Caselle, and A'Puddara gives a clearer picture of the volcano's full viticultural range than most single-estate ranges can provide. The 2022 transition to Lavinia Silva preserved the project without rupture and reinforces the family-anchored continuity model that defines the modern Etna producer cohort. Reading Tenuta di Fessina alongside Romeo del Castello (the other recent generational-transition north-slope estate) and Benanti (the east-slope Bianco Superiore reference Tenuta di Fessina overlaps with via Caselle) gives a useful triangulation of the modern Etna estate model. The Il Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva remains the primary international flagship and the wine that established the estate's reputation in restaurant and retail channels through the 2010s.

• Project that built one of the modern Etna scene's most recognizable commercial cellars on the back of the Maestrelli-Curtaz partnership and the historic 'I Vigne di Fessina' Rovittello vineyards preserved by the Musmeci family
• Three-slope portfolio (Rovittello northeast, Milo east, Manzuedda south) is unusual on Etna and gives a clearer picture of the volcano's full viticultural range than most single-estate ranges
• 2022 transition to Lavinia Silva preserved the project without rupture and reinforces the family-anchored continuity model that defines the modern Etna producer cohort
• Reads alongside Romeo del Castello (north-slope generational transition) and Benanti (east-slope Bianco Superiore reference, Caselle overlap); the Il Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva remains the primary international flagship