I stopped into Pronto Italian Market in San Clemente, where Donatella welcomed me with the kind of warmth she is known for. I asked her: “What’s a good Sicilian wine under $30? Let’s pretend I don’t know much, I just want something authentic.”
Her answer came without hesitation: Theresa Eccher Contessa del Vento Etna Bianco 2023. It is 100% Carricante, grown at about 700 meters (2,300 feet) on the slopes of Mount Etna. Donatella said it would be perfect with chicken, then lit up as she explained how versatile it is with seafood, pasta, vegetables, and more.
Theresa Eccher is a newer project on Etna, run by Daniela Conta Eccher and her husband Andrea Panozzo, named after Daniela’s grandmother. Their vineyards sit high on Etna’s north side in Castiglione di Sicilia, where some of the mountain’s oldest vines still grow. The style is clean and true, showing citrus, herbs, volcanic minerality, and no oak to get in the way.
And Pronto is more than just a market. It is also a restaurant, led by Donatella’s son, Chef Adriano Piazza. I will be sharing more about that side of the family business in the future, but for now it is enough to say that authenticity runs through everything they do.
Of course, I could not leave without a bar of Cioccolato di Modica IGP, Arancia di Sicilia. That one may not even make it home.
At the end of the day, bottles come and go, but the relationships stay. When you know the person behind the counter, they can guide you to wines you will actually enjoy, not just once but again and again. That is the real secret to drinking better. Go ask Donatella for a suggestion yourself, you won’t be disappointed.
