About Frank Cornelissen

Being the son of a wine collector and a former wine merchant himself, Frank Cornelissen’s passion for wines bought him to Etna, Sicily, where he began producing wines since 2001. Frank’s wines are often labeled as “natural wines”. However, the term "natural wine" has never been clearly defined. For Frank, a natural wine is a wine that is made without anything added and from grapes that are not treated at all. This is also the approach he takes in his work of farming and wine-making. All possible interventions on the lands he cultivates are avoided, including any treatments, whether chemical, organic, or biodynamic.

About The Wines

HIGH ELEVATION, UNGRAFTED VINES

Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Sicily. Frank's vineyards are all located in the Northern valley of Etna. The Barbabecchi vineyard where the Nerello Mascalese for producing his top wine Magma Rosso are grown, has a high elevation of 910 meter with ungrafted vines plated around 1910.

LOW YIELD, HIGH CONCENTRATION

To produce profound wines with high concentration that express the unique terrior of Mount Etna, Frank prunes his vines very short in the dormant season to only let the best grapes grow. This results in a low grape yield of 300 - 500 gram per vine. The harvest is relatively late in order to let the grapes achieve perfect ripeness. It normally starts from mid October to mid November, effected in multiple passes, to obtain dense and profound wines.

NOTHING ADDED, EXPRESSING TERROiR TO IT'S FULL EXTENT

Frank refuses to add any product in every aspect of his winemaking and bottling. The use of sulphur is also avoided, which enables his wines to express themselves to their full extent.

Tasting Frank's Wines

A selection of FRANK CORNELISSEN WINES HAND-PICKED BY KEVIN

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