Frank Cornelissen: Radical Natural Winemaking on Mount Etna

Frank Cornelissen - Mt. Etna, Sicily

A wildly polarizing rock star from Belgium with a property on the northern slopes of Mt Etna in Sicily. One of the OGs of the region and natural wine.

Vigneto Contrada Barbabecchi. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

The tour begins the way many things do in Italy: with coffee and a loosely organized period of milling around while everyone slowly arrives at the winery. Sicily possesses a particular charm — whether because punctuality is treated more as a suggestion or because espresso, consumed in two rapid gulps, is considered essential to daily survival.

Once the group is assembled, we pile into cars and head toward Vigneto Contrada Barbabecchi, one of the estate’s most celebrated single vineyards — and one of the most revered sites on Etna itself. Perched at roughly 900 meters above sea level and covering just two hectares, Barbabecchi sits among the highest-elevation vineyards on Etna’s northern slope. Only the neighboring site owned by Graci lies higher. In most vintages, the vineyard ripens consistently despite the altitude, but in cooler years — such as 2018 — temperatures never rose enough to fully ripen the grapes, forcing the winery to declassify the wine. That is the gamble of farming at the outer limits of viticulture.

Viticulture

One hectare of the vineyard was planted in 1910 and consists of roughly 90% Nerello Mascalese, with the remainder made up of assorted local varieties. These century-old vines contribute to the estate’s flagship cuvée, Magma. Another parcel was replanted approximately 25 years ago using ungrafted vines, which are incorporated into other red blends produced by the estate. Beyond Barbabecchi, the winery farms an additional 22 hectares scattered throughout the valley.

Soils

The vineyard’s soils were shaped largely by Etna’s devastating 1669 eruption, the last major volcanic event to significantly impact this area. The eruption left behind roughly one meter of basalt-rich topsoil. Cover crops are intentionally simple — mainly grasses — which are tilled back into the earth later in the spring.

Vigneto Contrada Barbabecchi. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Pests and Disease Pressure

Like many growers on Etna, the estate contends primarily with powdery mildew and downy mildew, generally managed with fewer than ten annual applications of copper and sulfur. But 2023 proved catastrophic. An unusually prolonged period of spring rainfall created ideal conditions for downy mildew, leading the winery to lose approximately 70% of production.

Many organic producers on Etna — including Frank Cornelissen — found their traditional copper and sulfur sprays ineffective because the relentless rain washed treatments off almost immediately after application. Yet even producers relying on systemic fungicides struggled, as the storms arrived unexpectedly and conventional treatments were equally diluted by the rainfall. At that point, preserving the health of the vines became more important than salvaging the vintage itself.

Climate

Despite the dramatic elevation, the vineyards on Mount Etna still fall within a Mediterranean climate. Annual rainfall totals are surprisingly comparable to parts of northern Europe, though almost all precipitation arrives between October and February. In 2025, the mountain experienced significant winter rainfall but avoided the damaging spring storms seen in 2023.

Drainage on Etna is exceptionally efficient. There are no major lakes or rivers on the mountain, and water rapidly filters through volcanic soils or runs off the steep slopes, limiting standing moisture and reducing disease pressure in most vintages.

Tank Room at Frank Cornelissen. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Winemaking

This is where Frank Cornelissen has become one of the natural wine world’s most polarizing and influential figures. His philosophy is radically minimalist: the winemaker’s role is not to shape the wine but simply to guide it, interfering as little as possible with its essential nature.

That said, experience — and global distribution — have forced some evolution in the cellar. Certain vintages proved unstable once they reached international markets, prompting gradual changes to the winery’s approach.

Beginning in 2014, the estate started lightly filtering wines before bottling. Sulfur dioxide was eventually introduced in small amounts during fermentation, while nitrogen injection replaced sulfur additions at bottling. In 2022, after elevated CO₂ levels were discovered in several bottlings — likely the result of refermentation or other microbial activity — the entire vintage was voluntarily recalled.

One of the more surprising aspects of the winery is its extensive use of fiberglass vessels. Both fermentation and aging occur almost entirely in fiberglass tanks. Rosés and whites typically remain in fiberglass for around six months before bottling, while some reds age for up to a year and a half.

Top of the fiberglass tank at Frank Cornelissen. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

For a producer so deeply associated with natural winemaking, the reliance on fiberglass can initially feel contradictory — placing “living” wines into what is essentially a petrochemical vessel rather than clay, concrete, or wood. Yet the choice reflects Cornelissen’s broader philosophy. The winery moved away from amphorae and avoids stainless steel because neither delivered the expression they sought. Oak, meanwhile, was rejected for imparting too much flavor. Fiberglass, in their view, best preserves the purity and transparency of the fruit without introducing additional texture or aromatic influence.

Stay tuned for the tasting!