Federico Graziani is a name that resonates across the Italian wine world: a rare figure who bridges the worlds of sommelier, oenologist, writer, and winemaker. Today, his vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, in Contrada Feudo di Mezzo near Passopisciaro, produce some of Sicily’s most distinctive and expressive wines - pure reflections of volcanic terroir and thoughtful, artisanal craftsmanship.

Born in Ravenna in the mid-1970s, Federico’s love for wine began early. At just 15, he had to persuade and get special permission from his parents to let him attend a sommelier course despite being underaged. By 19, he was already a certified AIS sommelier, and at 23, he was crowned Italy’s Best Sommelier in 1998. This launched a brilliant career in fine dining, where he worked alongside chefs such as Gualtiero Marchesi, Gordon Ramsay, Carlo Cracco, Bruno Loubet, and Aimo e Nadia Moroni, developing a deep understanding of wine’s role in gastronomy. This essential foundation in gastronomy has endured today with his continued conviction that good wine is that which is gastronomic - slender, refined, adaptable companions to food, with a great thirst-quenching and quaffable quality.

Fede’s passion for viticulture followed from his sommelier career. Under the mentorship of Professor Attilio Scienza at the University of Milan, Federico earned a degree in Viticulture and Oenology in 2006. He also authored influential books like Grandi Vini di Piccole Cantine and Vini d’Autore, further cementing his place as one of Italy’s most thoughtful voices in wine.

In 2008, while visiting a gelateria in Randazzo, a conversation with the local butcher unexpectedly led to the purchase of a century-old vineyard in Feudo di Mezzo. Perched at 600–700 meters above sea level, this ancient parcel was about to be uprooted. Instead, this vineyard-garden became the beating heart of Federico’s winemaking project, known today as Profumo di Vulcano.

The vineyard is a living mosaic of Etna’s mixed agriculture—over 40 white varieties are scattered among the older plantings of Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante, and Francisi, grown in the traditional alberello (bush vine) style. Vines average 75–100 years old. Farming is low-intervention: everything is done by hand, with no systemic chemicals—only copper and sulfur are used. This gentle touch continues in the cellar, where wines ferment spontaneously with native yeasts and are aged in neutral barrels for no more than 12–14 months.