Giuseppe Lazzaro is a native of the Eastern slopes of Mount Etna. Giuseppe’s grandfather was a viticultural master specializing in grafting and pruning, so it is no surprise that he found his way to his own winery in 2020. For the last 20 years, Lazzaro has worked alongside well-known Etna producer Frank Cornelissen as cellar master. Unlike the many newcomers to the fashionable region of Mount Etna, native Lazzaro has amassed tiny vineyard parcels on all three sides of the volcano, totaling a mere 4.5 hectares. His vines range from 40 to 90 years in age, with a range of expositions and soil typologies. All farming is manual and organic, with many integrations from his agricultural upbringing: emphasis on biodiversity, like having fruit trees for honey bees to feed on, and integrating propolis treatments in the vineyards. 

Lazzaro’s most special bottling is called ​‘1981’ from a half-hectare 90-year-old Nerello Mascalese vineyard in Randazzo’s Contrada Pirao. Just above the upper elevation limit of the Etna DOC, this vineyard is adjacent to a lava flow from an eruption in 1981, the same year as Giuseppe’s birth. Giuseppe jokes that there were ​“two disasters in one year.” A minuscule 400 bottles are produced from this incredible site. 

Lazzaro is committed to the many historical varieties of Etna, not just those that dominate the DOC. His production is dominated by Nerello Mascalese, but also includes field blends of Sangiovese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Grenache; and whites like Carricante, Catarratto, Minella Bianco, Inzolia, Grecanico, and Moscato. Few producers of Etna are committed to this historical variety of plant material like Giuseppe, and even fewer to the great diversity of the terroir of Etna, with vineyards on all parts of the volcano.  It makes sense that a native like Giuseppe, with familial roots in agriculture and viticulture, would understand the importance and benefit of this diverse landscape and biodiversity.