Frank Cornelissen | Wine from Mount Etna

Frank Cornelissen is undoubtedly one of the rockstars of the natural wine scene (although he might not like to agree). A Belgian living on the foothills of Mount Etna, his wines are full of volcanic minerality and a strong sense of place. From the glouglou favourite ‘Susucaru’ to the more serious Munjebel & MAGMA wines, his volcanic terroir and winemaking skills have earned him a loyal cult following from natural wine lovers and fine wine critics alike.

See Wines

Buy Frank Cornelissen Wine

Add to cart

£55.53incl. UK VAT + duty taxes£44.05at checkout

Munjebel Rosso 2021

Frank Cornelissen

Entry Level Nerello Masacalese

Suff

Who Is Frank Cornelissen?

Frank Cornelissen is a Belgian who has become one of the most famous winemakers on Mount Etna in Sicily. Before making wine he worked in the wine trade, selling Bordeaux and Burgundy, and a trip to Georgia in the 1990s changed how he thought about wine.

He arrived on Etna in 2000 and made his first vintage in 2001 from less than half a hectare. Today he farms around 24 hectares on the north side of the volcano, between 600 and 1,000 metres, including many old bush vines, plus olive trees and fruit trees.

Frank does not like the natural wine label. In his words, he does not make natural wine, he just makes wine with nothing added.

Scroll to Wines

Popular Frank Cornelissen Wines

Susucaru is the wine most people know first: a fresh, light field blend of red and white grapes, made as a rosato, a rosso and a bianco. Susucaru Rosso was first made in 2003 under the name Contadino, a field blend led by Nerello Mascalese.

MunJebel is the more serious range, with a MunJebel Rosso, a MunJebel Bianco and single-contrada reds from individual vineyards. At the top sits Magma, pure Nerello Mascalese from the contrada Barbabecchi, from vines planted around 1910.

Supply is very limited and the wines sell out fast. Check the list below for what we have right now.

Susucaru by Frank Cornelissen

<p>We open a bottle of Susucaru, the field-blend wine from Mount Etna that made Frank Cornelissen famous with natural wine lovers.</p>

Scroll to Wines

How Frank Cornelissen Makes His Wines

The main grape is Nerello Mascalese, alongside Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante, Minnella, Carricante, Catarratto and other local varieties. New vines are planted ungrafted, from his own selections, and yields are tiny.

In the vineyard Frank tries not to treat the vines at all, not even with the copper and sulphur most chemical-free growers use, and only steps in when a difficult year leaves no choice. The soils are volcanic and are rebalanced with buckwheat rather than compost.

In the cellar the grapes are destemmed and fermented with their own yeasts in neutral tubs. The wines age in epoxy-lined tanks and in terracotta amphorae buried in the volcanic rock. Additions are kept to an absolute minimum, with at most a very small amount of sulphur, so the wines should be stored cool, below 16°C.

Shop a huge range of 1200+ natural wines - with free shipping options too!

Trust us. We've delivered 30.000+ orders to natural wine lovers! All orders are insured delivery.

Watch producer documentaries, interviews & top wine recommendations on our social channels.

Want advice? We love to help! Get in touch for personalised wine recommendations.

MOST WINE CLUBS ARE SHIT.

They give you crap wines that are often their stock not selling and have nothing to do with your wine style. We're gonna change that.
We've created a club with three tiers, that is actually curated and ideal for the type of wine drinker your are.

Learn All About it

NATURAL WINES FROM SICILY

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and one of Italy's most exciting places for natural wine. Vineyards range from the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, where vines climb to around 1,000 metres, to the hot, windy coasts of the west and south-east. Local grapes include Nerello Mascalese, Nero d'Avola, Frappato, Grillo, Catarratto and Zibibbo. Natural wine producers include Frank Cornelissen, Aldo Viola, Nino Barraco, Etnella and Porta del Vento.

More Info & Wines

EXPLORE ITALIAN NATURAL WINE PRODUCERS