Lentsch is an entrepreneur from Bergamo who fell in love with Lipari and created a prominent wine business, with two meticulously tended bush-trained vineyards and a winery that is a masterpiece of bio-architecture. The wines express the impetuous character of the volcano, unusual and personal, particularly the Nero Ossidiana.
Massimo Lentsch is an entrepreneur from Bergamo who, at a certain point in his life, without any warning, fell in love with the largest of the Aeolian Islands during a vacation in Lipari and decided that the Castellaro plain would become a vineyard—the Suavigna. Although he had had nothing to do with wine up to that point (this was in 2000), with a pragmatic Austro-Orobic spirit, he set his project into motion.
Tenuta di Castellaro was founded in 2005 and today covers sixteen hectares of vineyards, divided between the Castellaro plain itself and the small, magnificent exclave of Vigna Cappero, 0.7 hectares perched above the sea with a view of Vulcano. All the vineyards are strictly bush-trained (ad alberello), a cultivation method that requires entirely manual labor (although Lentsch is planning a machine capable of operating in this context). The soils are, of course, volcanic, providing a rich mineral content, and the altitude—350 meters above sea level for the Castellaro plain, 80 meters for Vigna Cappero—with a northwest exposure ensures valuable temperature variation that enhances aromatic development.
The two native Lipari grape varieties, Corinto Nero and Malvasia delle Lipari, have been restored through careful massal selection and are complemented by other Sicilian and international varieties: Nero d’Avola, Pinot Noir, Alicante, Carricante, and Moscato Bianco. The vineyards are managed with passion and a tailor-made approach, while the winery itself is a masterpiece of bio-architecture—a mostly underground structure that integrates perfectly with the landscape and makes use of natural resources for lighting and climate control. It is a place of great beauty that engages not only with the surrounding panorama but also with Lipari’s architectural symbols, such as the Norman Cloister, echoed in the vernacular style of the barrel room.
During a dinner in Milan at the restaurant Uovo di Seppía, the Milanese venue of the great Sicilian chef Pino Cuttaia, I had the opportunity to taste some wines from the Tenuta di Castellaro production.
I started with the Bianco Pomice, an Igt Terre Siciliane Bianco blend of Malvasia delle Lipari and Carricante, which rests for six months in steel for the Malvasia part and in third- or fourth-passage barriques for the Carricante, and then rests for six months in the bottle. It presents an elegant and clear nose, with a palate marked by a pleasant mineral trail.
The other white, the unusual Eùxenos Igt Terre Siciliane Bianco, is a dry interpretation of Malvasia delle Lipari, which rests for ten months in terracotta vats and emerges, after six months in the bottle, with a very expressive aromatic profile (fresh fruit, exotic fruit, aromatic herbs, iodine notes), and on the palate it is elegant, balanced, and pleasantly saline.
Moving on to reds: I tasted the Corinto, an Igt Terre Siciliane Rosso made from pure Corinto Nero grapes, vinified in French oak barrels with about ten days of maceration and aged in 500-liter casks. The nose offers ripe red fruit and spices, while on the palate, sapidity and balsamic notes hold their ground.
The other red was the star of the evening, the Nero Ossidiana, an Igt Terre Siciliane Rosso from Corinto Nero (with a small addition of Nero d’Avola to tame the lively acidity of the Corinto). It is thrilling, with spicy and musky notes that enliven the tannic structure.
Then there is the Figliol Prodigo, a Malvasia delle Lipari DOC made from grapes dried in the sun on racks for fifteen days, fermented in oak barrels, and aged in bottle for 18 months. Its nose shows apricot, raisin, and saline Mediterranean scrub notes, while the palate feels unbalanced between sweetness and acidity.
Tenuta di Castellaro also has a hospitality section, both for visitors wishing to see one of the most beautiful wineries in Sicily and for those wishing to stay among the vineyards. There is also a restaurant run by a young chef who trained under the Carusos at the Michelin-starred Signum in Salina.
Lentsch also has a foothold on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, in Castiglione di Sicilia, at 700 meters above sea level, producing wines we will discuss on another occasion, which complete the project of becoming a fully volcanic winemaker.
