Ancestrale is located on the island of Salina, part of the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago off the northeast coast of Sicily.  Excavations on Salina from the Bronze Age prove the existence of grape cultivation dating back to 1450 B.C.  For those more familiar with the recent wines of "le Eolie,"  Antonino "Nino" Caravaglio's name comes up frequently.  A native son of Salina, he has produced capers and wine since starting his company in 1989.  He's an indefatigable advocate for the islands' terroirs, with an emphasis on small-scale, truly sustainable farming of micro parcels in this magical landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000.   

For Ancestrale, Nino partnered with his friend Giuseppe Mascoli.  Giuseppe had been living in London, where he was Nino's longtime importer of capers.  Upon his repatriation in Italy in 2016, he and Nino joined forces and purchased 1.8 hectares of 40-50-year-old vines as well as a tiny cellar.  Salina, initially known as Didyme ("Twins") when the ancient Greeks inhabited it, is characterized by two spent volcanoes--Monte dei Porri and Monte Fossa delle Felci--which, from the right vantage point appear to be two separate islands. The vineyards for Ancestrale are located right between the two volcanoes, in what is the coolest corridor of the island, with northwest and northeast exposures, sandier topsoil and later harvests compared to other spots in Salina.  The vines are trained in a low guyot.  No topping of the vines or green harvesting is done, allowing the plant to find its own equilibrium.  Winemaking is minimalistic and anti-technological, in underground, 750L clay amphorae.  Macerations on the whites vary from fifteen days to a month.  For the red, it's almost like a negative photographic image:  maceration is just one day, making for a fresh, light red in the elusive "is it really a rosato?" category.  

We welcome Ancestrale to Bowler's ever-expanding stable of overachieving producers from Italy's "deep South."