Robert Camuto, an American whose father was born and grew up on the north slope of Etna, writes about visiting family winemakers all around Sicily. Once upon a time, every farm/family had a palmento for pressing grapes (with their feet), fermenting the must, and aging the wine in barrels. The EU has declared it illegal (for hygiene reasons) to sell wine made in a palmento, changing the face of winemaking in Sicilia completely.
The book motivated me to take a week-long trip to Sicily. I used Palmento as a guide and can vouch for how well Camuto describes the people, the wine and the personalities of both.
Here are a few photos I took of a palmento on Mt. Etna, the giant screw used to press the last of the juice out of the grapes, and the barrels for storing and aging the wine.
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