‘Italy without Sicily leaves no image in the soul. This is where it all begins “. So wrote Goethe, who loved this land so much. And from this land, the Giro d’Italia 2022 starts today, with the Avola-Etna stage.
An uphill journey, just like the vineyards of Donnafugata – a leading Italian winery which, on the fertile northern slopes of Mount Etna, produces some of the world’s most renowned volcanic and Mediterranean wines.
A distinguished name
The brand bears the name of the residence of the protagonist of The Leopard, the great novel by Tomasi di Lampedusa. It evokes the flight of Queen Bianca of Navarra, who found refuge among those vineyards, thus escaping the perfidious Count Bernardo Cabrera.
Today, it all stems from the passion and talent of Giacomo Rallo (1937-2016), from Marsala, the descendant of a historic Sicilian winegrowing family. In 1983, with his wife, he started Donnafugata, a name that also inspired the winery’s logo: a woman’s head with hair in the wind.
The company pursues the ambitious cultural project of enhancing the entire region, choosing to produce the best wines in different vineyards, from Etna to Pantelleria. It is no coincidence that the Goethe quote we quoted at the beginning is inscribed at the estate entrance.
Tradition and innovation
To the talent of Giacomo Rallo – appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro in 2006 by the then President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano – we also owe the rediscovery of the cultivation of head-trained bush Zibibbo vines (alberello pantesco), an ancient agricultural practice recognised in 2014 as a UNESCO intangible heritage. Finally, his is also the idea of the night harvest (also shared in live streaming) to “capture” flavours that only the temperature difference with the day gives. This method of grape harvesting now forms the basis of the Sicilian winery’s two most award-winning reds: Tancredi and Mille e Una Notte.
Over the years, this unique blend of culture, art and wine has attracted experts from all over the world to Sicily, and today the Donnafugata Winery, under the leadership of Giacomo’s son, Antonio Rallo, is a leading producer that sells two million bottles a year in 60 countries, generating tens of millions of euros in revenue.
Congratulations to those who bring the culture and tradition of Sicily to the world.
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