Etna DOC Etna DOC Etna is a "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) for wine from the Etna region in Italy. Etna D.O.C. territory is closely tied to the biggest active volcano in Europe - Etna. Much of it is covered with crops and natural vegetation. Among the cultivated species the grape vine has always played a major role. Man appears on the island of Sicily in the Upper Paleolithic (20,000 years B.C.). Evidence exists that ancient grapes are proved to be dated before man ever stepped on the island; however it was only during the Neolithic era when population devoted itself to
Mount Etna volcanic edifice, forming a stratovolcano in alternating explosive and effusive eruptions. The growth of the mountain was occasionally interrupted by major eruptions, leading to the collapse of the summit to form calderas. From about 35,000 to 15,000 years ago, Etna experienced some highly explosive eruptions, generating large pyroclastic flows, which left extensive ignimbrite deposits. Ash from these eruptions has been found as far away as south of Rome's border, to the north. Thousands of years ago, the eastern flank of the mountain experienced a catastrophic collapse, generating an enormous landslide in an event similar to that seen in the 1980