Controcorrente is Antonino 'Nino' Calì's small wine project on family land near Linguaglossa, on Mount Etna. The name translates as 'against the current', reflecting Nino's independent way of working. Rather than applying one rigid method across every cuvée, he responds to the fruit and the direction of each wine, allowing the range to move freely between different styles.
The vineyards sit at roughly 550 metres above sea level on sandy volcanic soils. Nino works with Etna's principal grapes, including Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Carricante and Catarratto, while Grillo and Trebbiano also appear. From these varieties he makes sparkling rosé, skin-contact whites and reds ranging from light and immediate to more structured.
