The best wineries in Sicilia.
The historic winery’s activity has its roots in a history of sharecropping in a background of stamps and notary seals, about a century and a half ago.
The vineyards, in the center of the Contrada Bastonaca, the heart of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, fall into that territory between Ippari and Dirillo, which since the ancient Greeks and Romans was known as Mesopotamium, place of origin of excellent red wines.
The marketing activity begins much more forward, in 1982, with the launching on national and international markets.
In a time when the Sicilian oenology was at the beginnig, the Avide winery highlighted itself by entrepreneurship, enterprise and technical knowledge established by family tradition.
The project was inspired by the lawyer Giuseppe Demostene, who was assisted by his son Giovanni, a notary, with the help of his son in law Giuseppe Calcaterra and later of his grandson,
the lawyer Giovanni Calcaterra: they, over the years, have been able to add value to a product that has always stood out for its excellence.
The growing awareness of the manufacturing know–how and the experience of an established winemaker, Giovanni Rizzo, have made possible the rise to fame, to obtain prizes and awards at national and international level.
Nowadays, the company is run by the same notary, with the aid of the young agronomist of the family Marco Calcaterra, whose task is to transform, through its professionalism, the company to achieve the best quality results and thanks to the help of the sales manager Michele Di Donato, to go the conquest of new markets, growth horizons.
Rapital is a real name, it comes from Arabic (Rabidh–Allah Allah’s river with a creek that runs through the vineyards), and is a witness that these countryside have been cultivated since ancient times. Over the centuries, generations of farmers have designed the current form and the identity of the estate. The Rapital estate covers 225 hectares in the territory that from Camporeale slopes down to Alcamo, on rolling hills between 300 and 600 meters, on a land where clays and sands alternate. The perfect exposure and composition of the soil make it ideal for the cultivation of the most valuable wines.
SICILY IN THE GLASS (LA SICILIA NEL BICCHIERE)
In each of the thirteen labels of Cusumano there is a piece of land and history of Sicily
To highlight the peculiarities of a generous land and of strong contrasts like the Sicilian one, to present innovative wines to meet the new requirements and the changing tastes of consumers: on this strong idea, built on the perfect blend of past and future, tradition and innovation, man and nature, the young brothers Alberto and Diego Cusumano, with the valuable contribution of the oenologist Mario Ronco, gave birth in 2001 to their entrepreneurial project that became, in a few years, a symbol of the dynamism of innovation and Sicilian oenology, still too tied to stereotypes of tradition and historicity.
Contemporaneity, dynamism, technology and know–how, but also a craft that comes from ancient wisdom: these are the core values behind the success of this lively young company that has been able to transfer the local culture on a global scale and has brought its wines to the tables all around the world, winning prestigious awards and contributing to the enhancement of the Sicilian territory.
The company consists of 400 hectares of vineyards distributed in profoundly different areas of Sicily: from the Nordic microclimate of the Ficuzza estate, 189 hectares to 800 meters above sea level with a strong day/night temperature range, which gives the grapes an aromatic freshness typical of limestone, white and of Butera lands, to 140 hectares to 400 meters above sea level kissed by the hot Sicilian sun that gives a particular body, and to the vineyards in Alcamo, 70 hectares to 250 meters above sea level, with black and clayey soils full of strength and complexity.
Two are the wine lines produced: a single–variety basic line, made from native grapes vinified in purity (Alcamo, Insolia, Nero d’Avola, Merlot, Syrah) and a second author line of local wines whose names, of great beauty, are inspired by the ancient names which were identified with the various vineyards (Angimb, Jal, Benuara, Sgana, No, Cuba). The musicality of the names has an ideal continuity in the lively color of the labels which have become, along with the sun appearing in the brand, a hallmark of the wines of Cusumano. But the style of Cusumano finds its full realization in the new winery of Partinico, in the province of Palermo, located on the area of an ancient baglio and covering 4,000 square meters of surface and 3,000 square meters underground. The innovative project is by architect Fabrizio Ruffino, who conceived a stunning example of contemporary styling applied to a production reality that includes, in addition to the production center, the aging cellars and offices, also a space for meetings and events for preserving and transmitting the culture of a product as old as wine and the passion of a modern company like Cusumano.
The vineyards are grown on different chromaticities of the soil: the limestone white which reflects the rays of a relentless sun, the Mediterranean red and the black of clay, with a fair amount of organic matter and a good amount of mineral elements in the low hills at an altitude ranging from 30 to 67 meters above sea level with different exposures, taking advantage of the solar rays and with the winds that prevail in the area. The climate is hot and dry, with average maximum temperatures among the highest of the island. In the period of July–August the maximum temperatures always exceed 30C, and with the lack of rainfall occurring in this period the concentration of sugar in grapes is high, with phenomena of "withering" of the grapes.
The business vocation is mainly directed to the native vines of the area such as Moscato di Noto and Nero d’Avola, together with a careful selection of different clones of Chardonnay. Our intervention in the winery is limited simply to the respect of what is produced in the nature, supported with a modern winery, where our wines evolve and mature. Each label of Marabino, produced by specific plots of land, was created by the innate love for wine, from the most pleasant memories of childhood, giving soul, body and character to the bottles produced.
Complete is the hospitality in the winery, Torre Marabino, a Relais of excellence, nestled in the beautiful countryside of the Hyblaea area, a few minutes from the golden coastline of Sicily. An ancient Saracen Tower of the thirteenth century, the Relais offers maximum comfort feeling an integral part of the rural area by which it is surrounded. A few steps away from another reality of the Irsevice group, Natura Iblea, an organic fruit and vegetable company, with which it shares the pleasure to welcome the visitor in the local food and wine scene.
Carlo Hauner, from Brescia but of Bohemian origin, arrives for the first time in 1963 on the Aeolian Islands and, in love with the land, in the 70 ends up moving to Salina. There, he falls in love at first sight for the second time: Malvasia, an ancient grape variety (we have evidences of its presence in the area already from the first century BC), sweet and fragrant that Aeolian farmers harvest in mid–September, when arrived at full maturity, and that for two weeks is left to dry in the sun, refining a technique remained almost unchanged over the centuries. The result is what Dumas defined as the most outstanding wine that he had tasted in his life. After a careful observation of the local wine tradition, integrated with the study of ancient and modern texts, Hauner has been able to recover some twenty hectares of land and turn them into a vineyard. There, on the terraces retrieved from the local agricultural tradition, he began producing its Malvasia, with some innovations: grapes is let to wither on the vine and directly experiences a cooling technique during fermentation. Small touches that make that his wines end up on the tables of the best restaurants around the world. In the 80s a new winery and a new wine were created: Salina Bianco, Salina Rosso and Antonello. After the death of Carlo Hauner, the company was taken over by his son (pictured), who carries on its name and its philosophy: to produce a genuine and complex wine but, above all, terribly good.
Sicilian high lineage planted in the year 2000 by three family men and daily elevated.
Thirty hectares of vineyard in the Sicilian Agrigento area, a unique body of ten micro–areas, grouped together in a unique property of fifty hectares in Campobello di Licata. Deep soil, mixed with limestone and gypsum, hilly, between 230 and 270 meters above sea level and 8,000 meters from the coast. Mostly 5000 plants per hectare, all native of their own mother earth, all harvested by hand, in small boxes.
From the passion of a young entrepreneur lover of his country, in the mid–80s the Firriato brand was founded, in the heart of a beautiful scenery like the Agro of Trapani, for millennia marked by the culture of farming and winemaking and kissed by a wild and intense nature. In a few years Salvatore Di Gaetano and Vinzia Novara, his wife and companion in this wonderful adventure, led the company to great acclaim and notoriety at international level.
In a beautiful Villa of the eighteenth century in Sicily, the Palari Farm has resumed the production of this ancient and noble wine with the aim of finding, with the help of modern techniques, the quality that made Faro famous in the world.
In the district of Palari, in S. Stefano Briga in Messina, our vineyards extend, planted with native grapes with names as old as fascinating for what they evoke: Nerello, Nocera, Cappuccio Tignolino, Core ’e palumba, Acitana, Galatena, Calabrese, and others. All grapes that belong to the specification for the production of the DOC FARO.
The vineyards face south–east, with a considerable slope with sapling plants, which therefore involves a manual harvest with baskets of 20 kilos, with an average gradient of 78%. The microclimate is unique, as in less than 5 km of altitude it goes from 0 to 450 meters above sea level, Precisely this climate and the strict selection of grapes allow us to obtain less than 1 kilo of grapes per plant.
The soft crushing, fermentation at controlled temperatures, aging in oak barrels and then aging in air conditioned rooms, make possible the creation of this wine of ancient tradition.
At the end of the nineteenth century Giuseppe Benanti, grandfather of the current Giuseppe, started to produce wines in an old farm of his father on the slopes of Etna, in Viagrande (Catania).
In 1988, Giuseppe Benanti revived the ancient family passion, starting an extensive selection of the lands around Etna, highly devoted to viticulture and looking for particular clones of indigenous grape varieties and new oenological techniques to reproduce ancient fragrances with the help of the most modern winemaking techniques, like in a perfect blend of history and reality. A study that lasted five years, and led to the production of wines with a unique taste, able to recreate the ancient flavors and keeping them intact over time.
Wines with a strong personality, who carry the culture and passion for wine of the Benanti family, always driven by a respect for the lands, the "terroir" and the old millstones that, after revealing the wonders of the Etna area, has guided them before to Pantelleria and then to Pachino.
Today, the company, run also by the sons of Giuseppe Benanti, Antonio and Salvino, is located in a segment of the market for products of high quality and the request of his wines is in strong ascent. This result is mainly due to the quality of the wines, recognized both in Italy and abroad, as evidenced by the many awards and accolades that continue to arrive every year in the most important national and international competitions.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere is located on the northern slope of Volcano Etna. The wines are produced from vineyards that are located in three cru: Guardiola, Calderara and Feudo di Mezzo. The extremely particular soil and climate, together with the high altitude, make these wines similar to those of Burgundy or Barolo. Since the year 2004, the company is self–sufficient and grapes are vinified in the new wineries. The company has been in the process of conversion to organic farming since 2007. It was officially certified on the year 2010.
Giuseppe Russo, graduated in piano and in Arts, has been running the family business since 2004 and bottling Etna Rosso in three versions starting from the 2005 vintage. The 15 hectares of vineyards are divided into three districts, S. Lorenzo (8 hectares to 750–780 m above sea level), Feudo (6 hectares to 650–670 m above sea level) and Feudo di Mezzo (1 hectare to 700 m above sea level). In addition, Giuseppe manages 1 hectare of Calderara Sottana. Giuseppe follows the same method for the production of wine that followed for the study of the piano: attention to detail, but having at the same time in mind the final result. The company is certified for organic viticulture.
Pietradolce was founded in 2005, and finds its place in Solicchiata, part of the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia, on the North–east slope of Mount Etna. The vineyard covers 10 hectares, between 600 and 800 meters of altitude, and is divided into three plots of land, each falling in a different district: Marchesa, Moganazzi, and Chiusa Spagnolo.
We chose to grow only native vines of Etna, trained largely with the traditional “ad alberello” (bush–vine) method. The choice derived from a deep conviction that this is what the territory that hosts us requires. Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante are and will be the main protagonists of our story.
Our wine is fruit of our land even before than that of our hands. For this reason, it clearly represents the soul of the volcano on whose slopes it comes to life. Our work is aimed to preserve intact this soul in all its liveliness.
Etna flows in the sap of the vineyards of Cottanera that, with its border viticulture, is one of the most interesting realities of the Italian and international wine scene. Those of Cottanera are vineyards that are located on lava rock, 700 meters above sea level, along the northern slopes of the volcano, and that screw with the atmosphere of Etna becoming the mirror of a unique, precious, charming and full of charm territory. The name, chosen by the company, is linked to an ancient village which limits the family vineyards along the bank of the river Alcantara.
Cottanera is a gem of 100 hectares, all grouped together, 65 of which are vineyards.
The vineyards and winery are located in Castiglione di Sicilia (CT), where, therefore, all stages of the supply chain from harvesting to bottling take place.
"To look to the future we can not ignore the education we received. Land, as my father taught me, is an invaluable asset, because it is the principle of all things, and of what we are". This is the philosophy that Guglielmo repeated and that wanted to hand down to his children.
Guglielmo was the first to bet on the value of those black lands. We are in the nineties when Guglielmo, along with his brother Enzo, decided to convert what was a hazelnut grove into a large vineyard, the first plants related to international varieties, and then, over the years, native grapes were added, the historic vines of Etna: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante.
Today, after the death of Guglielmo, Cottanera is led by the brother Enzo and by the sons of its founder: Mariangela, Francesco and Emanuele.
All over these years we have worked hard to build something and to grow entrepreneurially, trying to smooth out not only the natural difficulties that this land presents, but also the operational challenges that small and very small plots of land, scattered within a radius of 30 km around Grotte and determining hither and thither the many boundaries of the 200 hectares of our estate, require every day.
When we started, we were aware of the sacrifices that were waiting for us, today we are proud of those sacrifices, because we were able, humbly, to embrace the hard work of the land and to interpret the world of wine without getting too excited, including ourselves in that new generation of Sicilians that did not want to emigrate abandoning their origins, but that tried to confront life to help to change a bit their land.
For us, the only important thing are those customers who esteem and respect us for the product that we offer every year; they are the most important thing we have and we know that only through them we can continue to do the winemakers here in Grotte, in the south of Sicily.
Planeta is a Sicilian wine company founded in 1995. Planeta is not one, but six different ways of expressing the land in six different frames. As many as six are, in effect, the estates in which wine is produced: Boutique Wineries each with a research and territorial development project.
Ulmo in Sambuca di Sicilia (Ag), Dispensa in Menfi (Ag), Dorilli in Vittoria (Rg), Buonivini in Noto (Sr), Sciara Nuova sull’Etna in Castiglione di Sicilia (Ct), and finally La Baronia in Capo Milazzo (Me), are the places of Planeta, a total area of 364 hectares of vineyards. The Planeta project, a patient and meticulous research, never rushed, is addressed as much to the past as to the future. On the one hand, a deep bond with the oldest Sicilian winemaking tradition with its wealth of indigenous varieties, Grecanico, Carricante, Moscato di Noto, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese and Nero d’Avola. On the other hand, the arena in which we measure the the biggest producers of the five continents with Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet grape varieties: great classics of the international oenology interpreted by a territory which make them so unique. But even the most advanced and visionary varietal testing: that which has allowed to obtain for the first time in Sicily a revolutionary Fiano.
Search on the map the best wineries in Sicilia. With this simple tool you have the opportunity to discover the winery that is the nearest to you or to the area you prefer.
C. da Mastrella, 346 97013
Comiso (Ragusa)
The historic winery’s activity has its roots in a history of sharecropping in a background of stamps and notary seals, about a century and a half ago. The vineyards, in the center of the...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Contrada Rapitalà 90043
Camporeale (Palermo)
Rapital is a real name, it comes from Arabic (Rabidh–Allah Allah’s river with a creek that runs through the vineyards), and is a witness that these countryside have been cultivated since...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Bisaccia, C.da San Carlo 90047
Partinico (Palermo)
SICILY IN THE GLASS (LA SICILIA NEL BICCHIERE)In each of the thirteen labels of Cusumano there is a piece of land and history of Sicily To highlight the peculiarities of a generous land and of...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Stentinello, 9 96100
Siracusa (Siracusa)
The vineyards are grown on different chromaticities of the soil: the limestone white which reflects the rays of a relentless sun, the Mediterranean red and the black of clay, with a fair amount of...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Umberto I 98050
Santa Marina Salina (Messina)
Carlo Hauner, from Brescia but of Bohemian origin, arrives for the first time in 1963 on the Aeolian Islands and, in love with the land, in the 70 ends up moving to Salina. There, he falls in love...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
C.da Favarotta 92023
Campobello di Licata (Agrigento)
Sicilian high lineage planted in the year 2000 by three family men and daily elevated. Thirty hectares of vineyard in the Sicilian Agrigento area, a unique body of ten micro–areas, grouped...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Trapani, 4 91027
Paceco (Trapani)
From the passion of a young entrepreneur lover of his country, in the mid–80s the Firriato brand was founded, in the heart of a beautiful scenery like the Agro of Trapani, for millennia marked...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
C. da Barna 98100
Messina (Messina)
In a beautiful Villa of the eighteenth century in Sicily, the Palari Farm has resumed the production of this ancient and noble wine with the aim of finding, with the help of modern techniques, the...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Garibaldi, 361 95029
Viagrande (Catania)
At the end of the nineteenth century Giuseppe Benanti, grandfather of the current Giuseppe, started to produce wines in an old farm of his father on the slopes of Etna, in Viagrande (Catania). In...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Contrada Calderara s.n 95036
Randazzo (Catania)
Tenuta delle Terre Nere is located on the northern slope of Volcano Etna. The wines are produced from vineyards that are located in three cru: Guardiola, Calderara and Feudo di Mezzo. The...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Via Regina Margherita, 78 95012
Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania)
Giuseppe Russo, graduated in piano and in Arts, has been running the family business since 2004 and bottling Etna Rosso in three versions starting from the 2005 vintage. The 15 hectares of...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
C.da Moganazzi 95012
Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania)
Pietradolce was founded in 2005, and finds its place in Solicchiata, part of the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia, on the North–east slope of Mount Etna. The vineyard covers 10 hectares,...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
Strada Provinciale, 89 95030
Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania)
Etna flows in the sap of the vineyards of Cottanera that, with its border viticulture, is one of the most interesting realities of the Italian and international wine scene. Those of Cottanera are...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
C.da Racalmare 92020
Grotte (Agrigento)
All over these years we have worked hard to build something and to grow entrepreneurially, trying to smooth out not only the natural difficulties that this land presents, but also the operational...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA
C.da Dispensa 92013
Menfi (Agrigento)
Planeta is a Sicilian wine company founded in 1995. Planeta is not one, but six different ways of expressing the land in six different frames. As many as six are, in effect, the estates in which...
CONTATTA & PRENOTA