Mount Etna and the Gambino Family winery
by David McGuffin
I was up on Mount Etna with my Sicilian friend, Paolo, a few months ago. After winding through the lava fields and trekking down into a crater, we had had all the cold and desolate volcanic slopes we could stand for the day. So we headed back down the northern slope of Etna to the Gambino family winery.
The Gambino estate sits at about 2,600 feet above sea level on the eastern slope of Mount Etna, perched right there in the National Park with views stretching across the Taormina coastline and the Mediterranean. Getting there means winding your way up mountain roads through volcanic landscape, and I won’t lie to you—the drive can be a bit nerve-wracking if you’re not used to mountain driving. But the moment you arrive and see those terraced vineyards spreading out with the sea glittering in the distance, you understand why this place is special.
Here’s what makes Gambino extraordinary. This is a family operation that’s been at it for over twenty years, with the Raciti Gambino siblings—Francesco, Filadelfo, and Mariagrazia—pouring their hearts into every aspect of the winery. Francesco grew up watching his parents buy land piece by piece on Etna, and his mother Maria came from a long line of Etna vintners. You can taste it in the wines, and you can feel it in how the family welcomes visitors. When Filadelfo takes you down into their cellar—carved ten meters deep into volcanic rock—and explains their winemaking philosophy, you’re not getting a corporate tour. You’re getting invited into their passion.
The volcanic terroir here is remarkable. The soil is rich with minerals from Etna’s eruptions, and those high-altitude vineyards get that dramatic temperature swing between day and night that’s crucial for developing complex flavors in the grapes. They’re working with indigenous varieties—Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the reds, Carricante and Catarratto for the whites. The Tifeo Etna Rosso has this beautiful pale ruby color with aromas that just keep unfolding—cherry, leather, coffee, vanilla. And the Tifeo Etna Bianco? It’s got this bright citrus character with touches of pepper. I could taste the soil and the sea breeze in it.
We booked their full experience—the wine tasting paired with food. They serve you five wines alongside a three-course meal of traditional Sicilian specialties, and their sommeliers know how to guide you through the pairings without being pretentious about it. The antipasti plate and the lentil and chickpea soup were perfect pairings with the wine. And that view from their terrace? Breathtaking doesn’t quite cover it. You’re looking out over terraced vineyards with the Mediterranean spread out before you, and you’re tasting wines that couldn’t come from anywhere else on earth.
The Gambino siblings practice sustainable viticulture—hand-picking their grapes, using natural pest control, doing things the way their parents and grandparents would recognize. But they’re not stuck in the past. They’ve married traditional methods with modern techniques to create wines that speak authentically to this place while meeting international quality standards. You can find their wines in restaurants, but experiencing them here, where they’re made, is something entirely different.
What I love about bringing people to Gambino is that authenticity. There’s no pretense here, no over-the-top wine snobbery. Just a family that loves what they do, making exceptional wines in one of the most dramatic settings you’ll find anywhere. They welcome you like you’re visiting their home—because you are. After your tasting and tour, you can browse their shop, stock up on bottles (they ship worldwide), and maybe grab some of their olive oil, which comes from trees growing at the same altitude as the vines.
The winery gets busy, especially in summer, so I suggest booking ahead. And yes, it takes effort to get there. But that effort is part of what makes it memorable. This isn’t a quick stop on a tour bus circuit. It’s a genuine experience with people who have deep roots in this volcanic soil, who’ve been dealing with Etna’s challenges and gifts for generations, and who make wines that taste like nowhere else on earth.
David and Paolo
