Sicily – DONNAFUGATA – Discovering the Italian wineries

Happy New Year everybody!

As a new year has begun, I decided to take you with me, in my discovery of wineries and wine producers who turned their passion into their jobs. We start from Sicily, a beautiful island – the biggest of the country – with one of the most important historical and artistic heritage in Italy; Sicily is also known for the flavors of the cuisine and the quality of its wines. Today we are visiting the winery DONNAFUGATA.

The winery
Donnafugata established  by a family with over 160 years of experience in premium wines, is officially founded  in 1983 by Giacomo e Gabriella Rallo. Giacomo has a strong passion for his land and the grapes; thanks to this passion, with the help of his wife Gabriella, he was able to grow the company and to raise awareness of his wines at  world wide level.

Following the untimely passing of Gabriella (May 2016) the son Antonio and the daughter José have taken over the management of the business;  in close collaboration with a highly competent, motivated team, they do not hesitate to accept new challenges in order to continue to represent the excellence of the  “Made in Italy”  in the world.

The name and the logo
The company name  “Donnafugata” intrigued me lots so I asked its origine and I discovered that it comes from the novel “The Leopard”; the novel tells the story of a  young queen on the run who finds refuge precisely in the areas where the vineyards are currently located. This novel also inspired the company logo: a young woman with her hair bowing in the wind.

The locations
Donnafugata has several locations all over Sicily but there are three historical ones: the oldest one is in Marsala; here is where the aging and bottling processes take place; the second is located in the heart of western Sicily and is called Contessa Entellina, here there are 270 hectares of vineyards and 9 hectares of olive trees: the third one is the cellar of  Khamma in Pantelleria. Pantelleria is a volcanic island located between Sicily and Africa; in Alberello Pantesco (Unesco heritage) there are 68 hectares of Zibibo vineyards.

With the 2016 harvest, Donnafugata was able to realize a long time dream and produced, for the first time, wines from eastern Sicily.  From 15 hectares of vineyard and winery in Randazzo on the north side of the Etna vulcano and 18 hectares in Acate,  are produced wines like  Cerasuolo e Frappato (denomination Etna and Vittoria).

The wines 
You must taste all the wins of Donnafugata; so go and check the page with our selections and enjoy the special prices designed for your! Do you still want a hint? Ok here we go, I suggest 2 wines which are also Donnafugata top selections: the red Mille e una Notte  and the sweet wine Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria.. Let me know if you liked them…

See you soon
Ilde