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From the wild and rugged landscape of Mendocino, an area rich in history and independent thinkers, comes ETTORE wines.  Made from organically grown grapes with low-intervention winemaking, these wines strive to offer a more natural and pure expression of the wine grape varietals grown, a perfect goal for the upcoming Earth Day 2023.
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Winemakers Ettore Biraghi and Sofia Rivier, Courtesy of ETTORE Winery
Ettore Winery was founded by Ettore Biraghi, an unconventional European winemaker, on a quest to make the most natural and pure organically grown wines.  Biraghi has come off a decade of success crafting world-class wines in Switzerland, with his highly acclaimed Tenuta Agricola Luigina.  His deep passion for natural wines led him to Mendocino, and the discovery of the Sanel Valley vineyards in 2015.  Here, in the southern part of the Mendocino AVA, along the Russian River, Biraghi found a home for his vision, making quality wines that expressed the precise varietal nature of the grapes.
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Courtesy of ETTORE Winery
Since organic farming is a way of life in Mendocino, his innovative and unconventional style suited the maverick spirit found here.  ETTORE wines found the perfect cradle for their Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in their estate vineyards.  Interspersed throughout the 64 acre estate are cover crops and other native flora, along with 35 acres of vines, all certified organic since 2005.  Compost and organic fertilizer help build healthy soil, drip irrigation and minimal intervention to control vine diseases, which rounds out the organic farming picture.
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Courtesy of ETTORE Winery
​But Biraghi didn’t stop there.  Hand-harvesting the grapes, ETTORE utilizes state-of-the-art cellar techniques, such as their Purovino® Method for wines meant to be drunk young.  According to ETTORE, the addition of activated oxygen and ozone to the grapes before crushing stabilize the wines during storage and transportation, and allow for no added sulfites, crafting a truly organic wine.  For wines destined to age, they add only the smallest dose of sulfites allowed by the Organic Farming Ordinance.   All of these techniques has allowed ETTORE wines to reflect Mendocino’s terroir.  Biraghi is joined by agronomist Sofia Rivier from Mendoza, who also acts as winemaker.  Biraghi’s passion is clearly stated on the back label, “This holistic approach of balancing the land and bonding of natural elements makes wine of unparalleled quality with depth and personality”.
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Ettore Biraghi, Courtesy of ETTORE Winery
ETTORE released their first organic range of wines in 2019, but the full line only became widely available to the US in late 2020. Their ZERO wines are made with the Purovino® Method, meaning no sulfites added, and can be labeled Organic Wine.  The Signature wines are labeled “Made with Organic Grapes” , a distinction because of the addition of a small amount of sulfites.  These delineations are defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).  Recently I had the opportunity to sample two of their wines, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2019 vintage.
The ETTORE Merlot ZERO 2019 is friendly and pleasant, with delicate  aromas and flavors of plum, blueberry, blackcurrant and licorice, accented with a note of black pepper.  This is an easy-going wine, with medium body and mild tannins, with some intrigue and mouthfeel.  It makes a good everyday dinner wine, especially with cheese-based pasta or ricotta dishes.
​The ETTORE Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is smooth and silky, well balanced and enticing in its blackcurrent and plum fruit, approaching a cassis-like quality.  Violet aromas and hints of juniper swirl on the nose, and graphite notes unfurl on the finish.  This is a more complex wine, elegant in its medium body, round mouthfeel, and integrated tannins.  Perfect for steak or pasta with a bolognese sauce, it will have you coming back for more.
Ettore Biraghi is carving out a reputation as Northern California’s most passionate winemaker with his lineup of ETTORE wines, shining the spotlight on Mendocino’s potential to produce fine wines with an Earth-friendly focus