Producer
Santa Tresa
Vittoria, Sicily
Organic Sicilian estate producing expressive wines from native grapes and rediscovering rare local varieties.
If you are fortunate enough to visit Santa Tresa, the likelihood is you’ll leave with red soles on your shoes.
Vibrant ‘terra rossa’ soils surround the cool stone tasting room, which provides welcome respite from the Mediterranean heat. Wild liquorice, olive and lemon trees coxist with the vines and plentiful wildlife on this 50ha estate.
Siblings Stefani and Marina Girelli purchased the historic property in 2001, lured by Sicily’s natural attributes that make it almost criminal not to farm organically. Here, they produce a range of sparkling and still wines with native grape varieties that are fully organic and Equalitas certified.
Frappato creates lithe, joyous wines, using regional clones that are perfectly suited to each site. The grape also plays a key role in Sicily’s sole DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, providing the soprano harmony to Nero d’Avola’s earthy baritone in a wine Stefano says offers, “explosive drinkability”.
The property is home to an experimental vineyard dedicated to Sicily’s diverse indigenous grape varieties. Albanello and Orisi sit side-by-side with myriad clones of Catarratto in the collaborative project with Palermo University.
Santa Tresa is brilliant at celebrating Sicily’s heritage whilst simultaneously helping to shape its future.
