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Donnafugata

Italy Sicily

Winery Wines Files 3
Name: Donnafugata
Foundation year: 1983
Address: Address 91025 Marsala, Italy
Growing area: Sicily
Vineyard: 441 ha
Owner: José Rallo
Managing Director: Antonio und José Rallo
Oenologist: Antonio Rallo, Antonino Santoro, Pietro Russo, Consulting Stefano Valla
Phone:
Fax:
Social Media:
Associations: Assovini Sicilia & Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOC Sicilia
Work time:
Monday - Sunday
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Producer of premium wines, which regularly include even in international comparison among the best of its kind.
Donnafugata
The winery's headquarters are in the port town of Marsala in the province of Trapani on the west coast of Sizilien. The origins date back to 1851, when the Rallo family entered the winegrowing busines...

Tasted Wines 52 Wines View All

 
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0.75 L
2021 Etna DOC Rosato "Sul Vulcano"
20.50 €
88 WP - very good
Editor note: Delicately nutty and mushroomy aroma with restrained yellow and red fruit aromas, a hint of smoke an...
 
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0.75 L
2020 Pantelleria DOC passito "Ben Ryé"
93 WP - excellent
Editor note: Firm and deep, slightly oxidative aroma of dried yellow fruits and flowers with sultana tones, citru...
 
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0.75 L
2018 Sicilia DOC "Mille e Una Notte"
61.00 €
94 WP - excellent
Editor note: Firm and deep, quite polished nose with quite noble black berry aromas, ripe sour cherries, bread sp...
 
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0.75 L
2018 Terre Siciliane IGT Rosso "tancredi - Dolce & Gabbana"
35.00 €
91 WP - excellent
Editor note: Firm, quite complex and relatively fresh aroma of ripe, predominantly black berries with sour cherri...
 
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0.75 L
2018 Etna DOC "Contrada Marchesa"
55.00 €
89 WP - very good
Editor note: Firm, somewhat smoky and a hint of meaty scent of more black than red berries with tomato notes, pep...
 
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0.75 L
2018 Etna DOC "Fragore - Contrada Montelaguardia"
55.00 €
91 WP - excellent
Editor note: Quite deep, delicately smoky aroma of ripe red and somewhat black berries with a little dried herbs,...

The winery's headquarters are in the port town of Marsala in the province of Trapani on the west coast of Sicily. The origins date back to 1851, when the Rallo family entered the winegrowing business. The current business was founded in 1983 by the fourth generation of Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo. It was in the vineyards of the Contessa Entellina area that the writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896-1957) had some excerpts of his famous novel "Il Gattopardo" (The Leopard) set. It then became famous through the film version of the material with Hollywood star Burt Lancaster in the leading role. The name was given by Queen Maria Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine (Donnafugata = fleeing woman), who fled from Naples to escape the Napoleonic army. The vineyard emblem is a woman's head representing the queen with waving long hair. This motif can also be found on the labels designed by Gabriella Rallo (see also under artist label).

Donnafugate - Contessa Entellina Betriebsgebäude

There are several operating sites or wineries. The vineyards cover a total of 405 hectares of vines. Of these, 283 hectares are located in the Contessa Entellina area at an altitude of 300 to 600 metres above sea level, largely in the municipalities of Contessa Entellina, Sambuca di Sicilia and Santa Margherita Belìce. The other areas are on the island of Pantelleria (68 ha), in the Vittoria area (36 ha) and in the Etna area (18 ha). The white wine varieties cultivated are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Petit Manseng, Müller-Thurgau, Ansonica (Inzolia), Lucido (Catarratto Bianco), Damaschino, Fiano, Carricante, Grillo, Grecanico Bianco (Garganega) and Zibibbo (Muscat d'Alexandrie), as well as the red wine varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Nero d'Avola, Perricone, Syrah, Tannat, Frappato and Nerello Mascalese. The harvest of the Chardonnay grapes for the DOC white wine Sicilia "La Fuga" is done at night under spotlight to preserve the aroma through the cool temperature. This method is said to have been practised by the Elimi people as early as the 4th century BC. Some of the Zibibo grapes grown on Pantelleria are ungrafted over 100 years old.

In the Contessa Entellina area, an experimental vineyard was planted on half a hectare in collaboration with the region of Sicily, with 19 different autochthonous varieties of various clones. These are grape varieties that are widespread in Sicily, such as Nero d'Avola, Catarratto Bianco and Ansonica, but also very rare ones that are threatened with extinction, such as Alzano, Nocera, Vitrarolo and others. In cooperation with farms in different areas of Sicily, the grape varieties are tested and by means of microvinification it is determined which varieties produce the best oenological results in which areas.

Donnafugata - Karte mit Kellereien und Etikett

The environmentally friendly cultivation is carried out according to the rules of GAP (Good Agriculture Practice) and integrated pest management with the renunciation of herbicides and chemical fertilisers with green man uring instead. A reduced use of plant protection products is possible by monitoring climatic parameters (precipitation, temperature, humidity, etc.) and controlling insect occurrence (meal moth) through the use of pheromones. A quality-enhancing measure is yield reduction through thinning. An important contribution to sustainability is made by the production of clean energy from renewable sources with the photovoltaic systems, which allow a reduction of CO2 emissions. The Donnafugata farm is certified according to the requirements of the environmental management system EMAS developed by the EU.

The extensive product range includes over 20 different wines, including sparkling wines (spumante). Depending on the type of wine, they are aged in stainless steel tanks, concrete bar rels or wooden barrels (tonneau and barrique). These are the DOC wines Contessa Entellina, Etna, Sicilia, Vittoria and Pantelleria, the DOCG wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria as well as IGT wines (country wines). The flagship of the house (cru wine) is the DOC white wine cuvée Sicilia "Vigna di Gabri" (Ansonica, Lucido, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc). Other top products are the DOC white wine Sicilia "Anthìlia" (Lucido) - the winery's most popular wine worldwide, the DOC white wine Contessa Entellina "Chiarandà" (Chardonnay), the DOC red wine Sicilia "Mille e una notte" (A thousand and one nights, Nero d'Avola), the DOC red wine Etna "Fragore" (Nerello Mascalese), the DOCG red wine "Floramundi" (Nero d'Avola, Frappato) and the Passito DOC white wine Pantelleria "Ben Ryé" (Zibibo). Grappa and olive oil are also produced.

Contessa Entellina: F. Gambina
Card and label: Donnafugata

Awards of wine competitions

Year Name Wine Award
2017 Vins extremes 2017 July MOSCATO DI PANTELLERIA DOC “KABIR” 2016 Gold
2019 Mondial des vins extremes 2019 MOSCATO DI PANTELLERIA DOC KHABIR - 2018 Gold
2020 Mondial des Vins Extrêmes MOSCATO DI PANTELLERIA DOC KABIR 2019 Gold
Donnafugata Region: Italy Sicily
One of the best producers of the country
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