Giardini ColeRinger
| Vigneron | Ginger Ringer & Romain Cole |
| Location | Randazzo (Catania) |
| Size of Domaine | 1 ha |
| Terroir | Mediterranean climate. Volcanic basalt, lava, north-facing Etna slope. Terraced vineyard. 1000m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Local (Etna) permaculture – ancient savoir-faire reminiscent of Fukuoka farming. |
| View Giardini ColeRinger wines ↓ |
La Nave is a prestigious contrada on the northern side of Mount Etna – above the town of Randazzo at around 1000m altitude – it is located on an ancient lava flow that dates back 5000 years.
There, Ginger Ringer and Romain Cole fell in love with a small piece of land encountered thanks to a tip from Eric Narioo (Vino di Anna, Les Caves de Pyrenes). The 3ha are co-planted with 1ha of ungrafted century-old vines (nerello mascalese, cappuccio, grenache, grecanico, carricante, minella etc) as well as all sorts of trees – olive, chestnut, almond, hazel, persimmon, cherry, apricot, apple, pear, fig, kaki... More than a vineyard, this is a garden (giardini in Italian) of Eden surrounding an ancient farmhouse with its own volcanic stone palmento.
The young couple started a new life on the Etna with their two kids in the aftermath of the pandemic (2021). Ginger used to be a full-time actress and Romain worked as photographer and editor in chief of a cinema magazine. By seriously damaging the entertainment industry, the pandemic sparked the idea of reinventing themselves, away from Paris, in direct contact with nature.
Wine geek and regular at the best Parisian bistros, Romain had published a book Es Brutal in 2021 after investigating the (French and Spanish) Catalan natural wine scene. He also made a series of documentaries interviewing growers in Champagne (Emmanuel Lassaigne, Anselme Selosse, Olivier Horiot to name a few) and in Sicily (Frank Cornelissen, Aldo Viola, Arianna Occhipinti among others) – the couple jumped at the opportunity to embrace agriculture on "the most stunning place on earth, Mount Etna, an island within the island".
Creativity, experimentation and freedom are the driving forces behind Giardini ColeRinger’s approach. They are not tied to any regulations. In fact, they have chosen to operate outside of the Etna DO as they find its rigid rules limiting.
The couple has decided not to employ any machinery in the vineyard and during winemaking, everything is done by hand – "tutto fatto a mano" as stated on the back labels – the soil is aerated (only) with a broad fork, grass is pulled out by hand, straw mulch is laid down between the vines, bunches are destemmed by hand grape by grape and pressed with an old basket press, the wines are vinified in open vats, they age in a mix of stainless steel, chestnut barrels and glass demijohn, and finally, the labels are handmade one by one using old wooden printing block letters.
Instead of strict oenological knowledge Ginger and Romain prefer to taste and follow their instinct through care and attention to details. They proudly follow the motto "nothing removed, nothing added", and pursue lightness as well as drinkability even when experimenting with skin-contact and oxidation. The result are wines of strong mineral character, vibrant fruit expression and raw energy.
P.S. Inspired by Pierre Frick in Alsace, the couple has opted for crown caps on their bottles, "it allows for long reductive ageing, prevents TCA and undesirable oxidation, and importantly it’s a non-polluting option."
Lenticular cloud on the Etna 
La Famille ! Giardini ColeRinger Wines
EPHALUMP 2022
50% Grecanico Dorato, 50% Carricante, Minella, Catarratto, Insolia
50% Grecanico Dorato, 50% Carricante, Minella, Catarratto, Insolia (12.5% alc.)
This comes from the ungrafted pre-phylloxeric vines in the 'orchard-vineyard' at the family’s farmhouse (see profile). The indigenous varieties (20% of whole bunches) were macerated for six days in open vats and then aged in stainless steel for 11 months. Beautifully combining power and elegance, this is saline, fruit-forward with a somehow austere but enticing structure. Ephalump is a character from Winnie-the-Pooh, "a scary but kind in spirit big grey elephant – just like the Etna!"
E LA NAVE VA 2022
80% Nerello Mascalese, 15% Grenache, 5% Nerello Cappuccio, Teinturier
80% Nerello Mascalese, 15% Grenache, 5% Nerello Cappuccio, Teinturier (13.5% alc.)
This is the one wine that caught our attention on a late night at Cave Ox (Solicchiata) when Eric Narioo pressed Sandro (Cave Ox' owner) for a nightcap! As per Ephalump, this comes from the family’s own 'garden of Eden' in the prestigious contrada Nave (see profile). The bunches were harvested fully ripe, destemmed by hand to preserve the integrity of the grapes. 15 days of semi-carbonic maceration in closed vats were followed by 15 more days of maceration in open vats. The wine was basket pressed and aged for one year in stainless steel. This is a stunning wine of depth and sapidity – a beautiful play between the lush mediterranean fruit and refreshing tannic structure with complex spicy and herbal aromas. There’s a fascinating element of plenitude in this wine undoubtedly carried by the intense minerality of the own-rooted vines. E la Nave Va ('and the ship sails on') is a pun based on the title of Federico Fellini’s 1983 masterpiece – it summarises the idea of letting go and embracing what may come.
CENDRE 2022
100% Grecanico Dorato
100% Grecanico Dorato (12% alc.)
Ginger, Romain and their family are active participants in the community of Randazzo, they’ve befriended a few elder farmers who happily sell them grapes grown following the local type of permaculture – an ancient savoir-faire that Giardini ColeRinger has proudly embraced. Grecanico dorato is arguably the most emblematic white variety in the contrada Nave. Here, the grapes were sourced from a plot at 1070m altitude. Following a slow direct press, the wine fermented and aged in chestnut demi-muids for one year. The barrels were regularly topped up throughout élevage with the Ephalump wine. The name Cendre (ash in French) comes from a deposit of volcanic ashes that appears at the bottom of some bottles – it obviously does not alter the taste or health of the drinker as a charcoal stick that filters water. The wine is generous on the palate with tropical fruits and spicy aromas, it is perfectly balanced thanks to savoury bitters and lip-smacking acidity.
NESSUN CI DIVIDERÀ 2022
100% Grenache
100% Grenache (12.5% alc.)
This comes from four small parcels of old grenache planted at 900-1000m altitude in contrada Nave (2km away from the family’s farm). The four plots were harvested altogether, the grapes macerated for over two weeks, and the resulting wine aged in chestnut demi-muids during nine months. The aromatics display a discreet peatiness that enhance moreish flavours of ripe cherries, almond, pistachio and cloves. On the palate, this is a lifted light red combining great drinkability and character – reminiscent of the best mountain wines! 'Nessun ci dividerà' translates as 'nobody will divide us' – the four plots are now one wine and indivisible; at a deeper level it represents the family’s adventure and move to Sicily facing all the challenges involved as one.