Federico's passion for wine ignited early in his youth. By the age of 15, his fascination was so strong that he convinced his parents to allow him to attend his high school’s sommelier course, despite the obvious implication of a minor tasting wine.

Successfully passing the exam and becoming a certified AIS Sommelier by the age of 19, and ultimately winning the title of Italy's Best Sommelier at 23, catapulted him into the élite world of fine dining, taking him across Europe to work with top-tier chefs of the likes of Gualtiero Marchesi, Bruno Loubet, Gordon Ramsay, Carlo Cracco, and Aimo e Nadia Moroni.

This extensive exposure to wine deeply sensitised him to its essential role in cuisine, to the need for it to be “gastronomic” in the deeper sense. Now a producer rather than a sommelier, Federico focuses on crafting wines that are slender, refined, and essential—adaptable companions to any dish.

Federico's interest with Mount Etna surely blossomed through those years of dedicated research and table-side work, but the true journey started in a gelateria in Randazzo, where a conversation with the local butcher opened the door to his becoming a wine producer on that powerful land.

The first bold step in this new adventure was acquiring half a hectare of ancient vineyards—average vine age of 100 years—perched 600 meters above sea level in Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, which was about to be explanted.

That plot has become Profumo di Vulcano, a vineyard-garden, a vivid testament to Etna’s mixed agriculture that has long defined local wine production. Even today, it hosts over 40 white varietals within its broader canvas planted with Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante, and Francisi.