You can’t talk about the wines of Mount Etna without mentioning Salvo Foti. Born in Catania in 1962, his life entails a long pursuit of honest winemaking, organic farming, teaching, and writing. He is largely responsible for putting Etna wines on the map and making the region that was once “cool kid” to now, a forever classic. Founded in 2007, I Custodi is a special project that represents the best of the best of Mount Etna: old vines, north and southeast facing slopes, dry-terraced black lava walls, crumbled pumice fields, and extended élevage in the cellar. The Aetneus Rosso cuvée is the flagship “old vine” red, with seriously old vines (some up to 150 years old!) A blend of Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante, it’s brisk, lush and velvety with the darkest of red fruits, exotic purple spices, and sweet black earth. With less than 5,000 bottles produced, I’d grab a few extra, and cheers to the life of a legend!