Frank Cornelissen

The unique terroir at the "Montagna", as the volcano is called by the locals, has become a field of oenological experimentation for Frank Cornelissen for two decades now. Frank's philosophy of agriculture is based on the fact that man will never be able to understand all the complexity and interactions of nature and the cosmos. Because of this, he decided to renounce all treatments such as chemical, organic, traditional or even biodynamic.

In addition to the classic, Sicilian grape varieties such as Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, Frank Cornelissen also strives to cultivate the almost forgotten, autochthonous Minella Bianca, Francisi, Cataratto and Grecanico, all of which are spread over small, jewel-like vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna.

Tillage is avoided as much as possible, although this depends on the vintage and the amount of water during the winter (recovery of the vines after the production cycle). The aim of Frank and his team is to avoid any treatment in the vineyard, orchard and surrounding area, which has been achieved even in difficult vintages such as 2004 and 2005. Although Etna has a tradition of planting vines in high density, Frank tries to reduce monoculture and plant different varieties of fruit and also keep bees to restore a complex ecosystem.