94 points - "A savory and minerally wine with bright aromas of lees, citrus, ferns and smoke. Light- to medium-bodied. Silky and textured, with weight and a smooth, zesty and lemony palate. Bright peach flavors in the finish. Drink or hold." - James Suckling (James Suckling)

93 points - "Lime-infused nectarine mixes with wet stones and hints of cardamom as the 2025 Etna Bianco blossoms in the glass. It’s pleasantly sweet up front, with balancing minerality further enhanced by a tart green-apple twang. The 2025 finishes wonderfully fresh and perfumed, leaving behind sour citrus nuances that force the senses to salivate. There’s a lovely tension here that nicely balances the richness of the fruit." - Eric Guido (Vinous)

Importer's Notes:

A partnership between Angelo Gaja and Alberto Graci which begun in 2016 on the east coast of Sicily. Etna is one of the most valued and in vogue regions for unique and terroir expressive wines. The Gaja and Graci families own 20 hectares of vineyards, between 600m and 800m above sea level, in the village of Belpasso and Biancavilla.
“Gaja’s IDDA project began in 2006 when Angelo Gaja met Alberto Graci but the roots of Angelo’s affection for Etna began long before in the 1990s when he visited his friend Giacomo Tachis, the man behind Sassicia. Gaja had studied wine making with Tachis in Alba, and Tachis encouraged him to buy land on Etna. The time was not right for Gaja but the region got under his skin. In 2016 he met Etna grower Alberto Graci and with his help, created IDDA. Idda means ‘she’ in Sicilian dialect and refers of course to the mountain itself whom the locals have christened with the feminine pronoun. Etna has become very hip of late and populated by well know names such as Franchetti, Marco de Grazia, and Tenuta delle Terre Nere. These are mainly based on the on the North slope. Rather than join that party, Gaja chose to focus on the underdeveloped pistachio-laden south slope and Italy’s indigenous white grape Carricante which is all they are actually planting, although they have inherited ten hectares of Nerello Mascalese” - Wine Anorak

There is no question the Gaja family have never been ones to swim with the current, not simply to be seen as modernisers or to stand out from the crowd but to challenge the established norms in an attempt to produce the best wine possible. In a region synonymous for quality red wine production originating from the Northern slopes of Mont Etna (Nerello Mascalese), Gaja decided to purchase both an existing vineyard and plant a new separate site on the less publicised southern slopes. All of these new plantings are Carricante, a white variety.

80% of current plantings on Etna are Nerello, so the fact that most of IDDA production will be white made from Carricante and from south facing slopes is very unorthodox. But so was planting Chardonnay in Barbaresco classified sites...

So why is it not classified Etna Bianco DOP? The first vineyard Gaja purchased is in Biancavilla and lies within the Etna DOP boundaries and does have some old vine Carricante planted. However the second vineyard in Belpasso (where the IDDA winery has been built) is exclusively planted with Carricante but sits just outside the border of the Etna DOP. IDDA Bianco is a blend of these two vineyards. Gaja always had the plan to plant here so the wine has been labelled Bianca Sicilia since inception.

100% Carricante. Post picking a small parcel is left overnight on skins before pressing. 80% fermented in tank, 20% in barrel, a combination of 1000 ltr seasoned French oak and 5000ltr Austrian Stockinger barrels. Part of the wine goes through malolactic. The total elevage is 8 months. Each plot is aged for 6 months separately, then blended and bottled 2 months later.
There is no question that the Gaja family has never been one to swim with the current—not simply to be seen as modernisers or to stand out from the crowd, but to challenge established norms in pursuit of producing the best wine possible.

In a region synonymous with high-quality red wine production—particularly from the northern slopes of Mount Etna, where Nerello Mascalese dominates—Gaja took a different path. They chose to purchase an existing vineyard and establish a new site on the less publicised southern slopes. All new plantings were Carricante, a white grape variety.

With 80% of current plantings on Etna devoted to Nerello Mascalese, the fact that most of IDDA production will be white wine from Carricante, and from south-facing slopes, is highly unorthodox. But so was planting Chardonnay in Barbaresco-classified sites…

100% Carricante. After harvest, a small parcel is left overnight on skins before pressing. Fermentation is split: 80% in stainless steel tank, and 20% in a mix of 1,000-litre seasoned French oak and 5,000-litre Austrian Stockinger barrels. A portion of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. Total élevage is 8 months. Each plot is aged separately for 6 months, then blended and bottled 2 months later.

Why is it not classified as Etna Bianco DOP?

The first vineyard Gaja purchased is in Biancavilla, which lies within the Etna DOP boundaries and includes some old-vine Carricante. However, the second vineyard, in Belpasso—where the IDDA winery has been built—is also planted exclusively with Carricante but sits just outside the official Etna DOP boundary.

Because IDDA Bianco is a blend of fruit from both vineyards, it does not qualify for the Etna Bianco DOP designation. Gaja had always intended to plant in Belpasso, so the wine has been labelled Bianca Sicilia since its inception.