At the beginning of time
How it all began
Sicily is the part of Italy with the oldest wine tradition. In addition to being home to one of the largest vineyards in Italy, the island has been one of the most important centres of viticulture in the Mediterranean basin.
The vines grew spontaneously in the area, as did the wheat, and for this reason it is not only a source of food but also constitutes a cultural heritage to be protected and valued.
Prehistoric age
The history of wine in Sicily is thousands of years old. To identify its roots, we must look to prehistoric times, and the fossilised grape seeds found in the foothills of Etna and in the Aeolian Islands, dating back at least 2 million years.
Greek Age
From the eighth to the third century BC, viticulture developed greatly thanks to the Greeks who introduced pruning and the planting of saplings and imported several vines directly from their motherland.
The vine became a feature in Dionysian symposia and festivals, taking on new meanings. The value of the vine at the time is also evidenced by some coins, such as the silver one dating back to 500 BC which depicts the head of Dionysus on one side and a bunch of grapes on the other
Roman Age
The development of viticulture in Sicily was further consolidated in the Roman era.
The most popular wines in ancient Rome came from Sicily, as well as from Lazio and Campania.
Arab Age
Under Arab rule (827-1091 AD) a curb was imposed on wine-growing due to the religious ban on the consumption of alcohol. Viticulture, however, was not completely suppressed, as evidenced by the works of many Sicilian-Arab poets who admired the quality of wines and the size of Sicilian vineyards.
We owe the foundation of Marzamemi, the reclamation of the Pachino countryside, the construction of aqueducts and the planting of citrus groves to the Arabs.
19th century
Between 1870 and 1885, when phylloxera devastated vineyards in France, the demand for Sicilian wine increased so much that the area covered by vineyards in Sicily tripled and exceeded 320,000 hectares (equal to 17% of the usable land), extending throughout all the provinces, and Syracuse, Catania and Trapani in particular.
But it was a short-lived period: the parasite spread quickly, also affecting Sicilian vineyards. Grafting on American rootstocks lasted for over half a century, until total reconstitution in the 1960s.
The 20th Century
1920
The 1920s was a period of great ferment in the Val di Noto.
Following the example of the Marquis Antonino Starrabba, who had played an important role after the eradication of phylloxera, the area was populated by wine warehouses. These included our winery, built around 1925 by a family of Genoese merchants.
The 20th Century
1935
The arrival of the railway in 1935 gave a boost to the spread of Sicilian wine in Italy and abroad, and, in the 1970s, a process of development began that allowed Sicilian wine to break onto the international wine scene.
