Murgo Brut Metodo Classico
Pairs with: Freshly shucked raw oysters, Sicilian swordfish carpaccio drizzled with lemon and capers, crispy arancini stuffed with mozzarella and herbs, classic Prosciutto e Melone, delicate seafood sashimi, or a plate of piping-hot fried calamari dusted with sea salt.
Good for: Expanding your sparkling wine horizons far beyond Champagne and Prosecco with an unexpected Blanc de Noirs made from red volcanic grapes; adding an affordable, high-altitude volcanic sparkler to raw bar platters; or surprising guests with the historic bottle that proved Mount Etna could produce world-class Metodo Classico bubbles.
Grape: 100% Nerello Mascalese (Crafted as a clear, elegant Blanc de Noirs).
I am from: Metodo Classico (VSQ / Terre Siciliane IGT), Sicily, Italy (Sourced from estate-tended, terraced vineyards perched 500 to 600 meters above sea level on the volcanic eastern slopes of Mount Etna, near Santa Venerina).
The Story: While Mount Etna is celebrated worldwide today for its ethereal red wines, the historic Scammacca del Murgo family—whose roots on the volcano stretch back to 1860—saw a completely different kind of potential in their native red grape, Nerello Mascalese. In 1989, Baron Emanuele Scammacca del Murgo (a former Italian diplomat who returned to his ancestral lands alongside his sons) took a historic leap: he pioneered the very first Metodo Classico sparkling wine made entirely from 100% Nerello Mascalese. He recognized that the grape’s naturally towering mountain acidity, low color concentration, and intense volcanic mineral core made it a world-class candidate for bottle-fermented bubbles.
To craft the 2023 Murgo Brut, the family hand-harvests the red grapes early in the season to lock in that fierce, high-altitude freshness. The fruit undergoes an immediate, ultra-gentle pneumatic pressing without skin contact to yield a crystal-clear juice. After fermenting cool in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and resting on fine lees for 7 to 8 months, the base wine undergoes its secondary bottle fermentation in the traditional Champagne method. Following extended lees aging inside the cool volcanic stone cellars and a precise, low-dosage disgorgement, it emerges as a sparkling monument to volcanic tension and Sicilian winemaking craft.
Why You'll Love Me: It is an absolute masterclass in high-wire mountain freshness, delicate creaminess, and volcanic salinity—a light-to-medium-bodied Blanc de Noirs that pairs the structural authority of a red grape with the laser-sharp focus of an alpine sparkling wine. In the glass, it pours a brilliant pale-straw yellow enlivened by a continuous, incredibly fine, and velvety stream of tiny bubbles. The nose is wonderfully atmospheric and expressive, immediately wafting out with an aromatic bouquet of crisp green apples, white peach, and lemon curd, seamlessly interwoven with top notes of chamomile, toasted hazelnut, fresh sourdough crust, and a subtle, playful hint of wild red berry. On the palate, it hits the tongue with an energetic, silky mousse; a juicy core of orchard fruit and candied citrus zest is instantly balanced by a driving beam of mouthwatering, volcanic-born acidity. Remarkably clean and focused, it glides effortlessly across the mouth before sailing into a bone-dry, savory finish defined by a trailing touch of ginger, orange pith, and a persistent, crushed-basalt mineral snap.
