Angelo de Grazia
Italy
Angelo's Wines
- Italy
- 1 wine
- 1 style
Etna oenologist turning lava into liquid gold
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Angelo’s been making wine with his nonno and papa since before he could even spell ‘oenology’ (don’t worry, he aced it later at university in Alba). Winemaking isn’t just a job for him – it’s a lifelong obsession.
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These days, he’s the brains (and palate) behind some of Etna’s most expressive wines. He works across 75 hectares of vines wrapped around the mountain’s fiery slopes, crafting wines that capture the essence of the volcano – smoky, spicy, and breathtakingly beautiful.
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With Angels behind him and his cellar dream team beside him, Angelo’s bringing his elegant Etna wines straight from the slopes of Sicily to your glass.
Angelo de Grazia's Story
Angelo's Story
I was used to making wine with my nonno and my dad when I was just a little boy, so from a young age I realised my passion for the vineyard and winemaking.
I studied enology at the University of Alba in Piedmont, and I completed my studies in 2010 – but even during university, I was already working and training in several Piedmontese cellars. My first harvest as an enologist is still one of my most memorable moments. That was the start of my professional journey.
Over the years, I’ve had several experiences in France that really helped shape my winemaking style – which I’d describe in five words: clean, authentic, honest, emotional, territorial.
Today, a typical day in my life includes checking analysis for quality control, tasting wine from barrels and tanks, and organising production – from harvest to bottling, plus the not-so-fun part: office work!
Luckily, I’m not alone. Armando is my right hand – he’s our master cellaro. Giuseppe is our cellaro too, and I call him my left hand. We’ve been together at Tornatore since the beginning. And then there’s Vincenzo Bambina – a great colleague and consultant who visits once a month (or more if needed) to help with the final blending decisions.
The craziest thing I’ve ever done for wine? Booking a last-minute flight to another Italian wine region just hours before departure – I didn’t want to miss a chance to discover a different approach to winemaking and bring that knowledge back with me.
Outside of the cellar, I’m a big football fan – of course!
Our domain is on the northern side of Etna, where we have 75 hectares of vineyards in production, planted across several Contradas. Each Contrada has its own volcanic soil, altitude, and exposure. For our Etna Rosso, we manually harvest grapes from different Contradas – between 450 and 600 metres above sea level – and vinify them separately. Then, our winemaking team creates an assemblage that represents the whole domain. The result is an emblematic expression of Etna Rosso – with nice freshness and minerality on the palate, and elegant, crisp tannins from the Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grapes. That’s our style: clean nose, little red fruits, spicy hints.
As we say: We make wine of Etna – not wine on Etna.
The decision to work with Naked Wines is because we share the same passion for good wine, and I know you can be great ambassadors for our brand. I have many dream projects… and with the support of Angels, I’m excited for what comes next.
