Salvo Foti Cru Night
Wednesday, June 24th
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Our wine list has always been rooted in producers whose wines reflect a clear sense of place and a thoughtful, traditional approach to farming and winemaking. Few producers embody those values more completely than Salvo Foti.
On Wednesday, June 24th, we'll host our second Cru Night of 2026. We've hosted these evenings many times in the past, and it is always a celebration for the restaurant to highlight one of the wine producers on our list by opening special bottles and sharing the stories behind them.
For this Cru Night, we'll be serving wines from Salvo Foti, one of the most influential figures in the modern history of Etna wine.
Long before Etna became one of Italy's most celebrated wine regions, Foti was working on the volcano as an enologist and consultant, helping shape the future of estates such as Benanti. Many credit Benanti's Pietramarina, a Carricante from the eastern slopes of Etna, as one of the wines that first demonstrated the region's potential on the world stage. It is difficult to imagine Etna's modern success without Salvo Foti.
As Etna's reputation grew, Foti became increasingly focused on preserving the traditions that had defined viticulture on the mountain for centuries. In 1998, he founded I Vigneri, named after the Maestranza dei Vigneri, a growers' guild established in Catania in 1435. Through the project, Foti and his son Simone continue to champion traditional farming methods, native grape varieties, and a vision of Etna rooted in history rather than fashion.
Their standards often exceed those required by the Etna DOC. Vineyards are planted at high density using the traditional alberello, or bush-trained method, with vines tied to chestnut stakes cut from the forests of Etna. The stakes matter: they are part of the mountain's historic farming system, linking the vines not only to Etna's volcanic soils, but to the surrounding woods, workers, and agricultural traditions that have shaped winegrowing there for centuries.
Foti often speaks less about "natural wine" than he does about what he calls "human wine" — wines that reflect the relationship between people, place, history, and agriculture. At I Vigneri, ancient palmenti, the traditional gravity-fed stone wineries that once dotted the slopes of Etna, remain an important part of preserving that connection to the past.
The wines are produced from native Sicilian varieties grown on volcanic soils at elevations that can exceed 3,000 feet above sea level. They combine the warmth and sunshine of Sicily with a freshness, structure, and mineral character more commonly associated with mountain wines.
We are very fortunate to have access to these wines and are excited to share them with our guests. The opportunity to experience several of these bottles from magnum alongside a selection of Sicilian-inspired dishes is a special one, and we're looking forward to opening them.
For the evening, we will be pouring the following wines by the 3-ounce taste:
Aurora Etna Bianco 2024 (Magnum) — 3oz $15
Produced from Carricante grown near Milo on Etna's eastern slope, long considered the grand cru area for the variety.
Vinudilice Rosato 2024 — 3oz $14.50
Produced from native Sicilian varieties grown in one of Etna's highest and most remote vineyards.
Etna Rosso I Vigneri 2024 (Magnum) — 3oz $14.50
The foundational wine of the estate and the clearest expression of the I Vigneri philosophy.
Etna Rosso Vinupetra 2023 (Magnum) — 3oz $18
"Wine of Stone." A single-vineyard bottling from Contrada Porcaria, produced from century-old vines and considered one of the benchmark wines of Etna.
Alongside the wines, Chef Rodrigo and Chef Tom will prepare a number of special dishes inspired by the cuisine and ingredients of eastern Sicily.
As with all of our Cru Nights, the evening will take place alongside regular dinner service. Guests are welcome to enjoy the wines individually, explore the entire lineup, or simply join us for dinner. Our full menu, along with the evening's Sicilian-inspired specials, will be available throughout the night.
Reservations are recommended.