One evening during this spring’s Vinitaly fair in Verona, I met avant-garde Mount Etna winemaker Frank Cornelissen for an evening glass or two.

We sat at a table with strangers under the ancient portico of the vintage, divey Osteria Sottoriva. At one point, Cornelissen proposed a blind-tasting of a white wine he had selected. From the tall, slender bottle covered in aluminum foil poured a deep-gold wine that rolled over the palate with mineral and honey notes.