Bell'assai

Perfect to sip from a glass, it accompanies grilled vegetables, salumi and tasty fish dishes such as soups. Also excellent with tuna sushi. Serve in medium-size glasses, it can be uncorked at time of serving, excellent at 15-16°C (59-61°F).

VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) training with spurred cordon pruning, leaving 6 to 10 buds per plant. Planting density 4,000-4,500 plants per hectare (1,619 - 1,822 an acre); yields of 7.0 – 8.0 tons/hectare (2.8 - 3.2 t/acre). In this territory, the climatic trend of the vintage was quite regular with slightly above average rainfall and mainly concentrated in spring and some days of summer. The careful agronomic management favoured a harmonious vegetative-productive cycle giving life to grapes that have reached the right level of sugary, aromatic and phenolic ripeness. The quantity produced was lower than in the last two years; the particularly cold spring had an influence on this result. Harvest time was chosen with extreme care, the vineyards were harvested between 20/9 and 3/10.

Aging in tank for 4 months and then in bottle for at least 3 months.

Fermentation in stainless steel with maceration on the skins for about 8-9 days at a temperature of 24-25°C (75,2- 77°F). After malolactic fermentation.

In 1983, the experienced winegrowing couple Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo decided to invest in a new Sicilian project that they called “Donnafugata.” Their vision was to create a contemporary winegrowing operation based around three sites in western Sicily and to produce a range of international and indigenous variety wines to showcase the potential of Sicily. Today the estate is comprised of an historic family cellar in Marsala that dates back to 1851, a 667-acre estate at Contessa Entellina planted to a diverse range of grapes, and a third cellar on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where Donnafugata cultivates 168 acres of Zibibbo vineyards. The company employs state-of-the-art, sustainable viticulture techniques at all three estates for wines of the highest quality. At Donnafugata, stewardship of the environment is taken as seriously as the production of wine. The winery was one of the first wineries in Italy to produce all of its electricity from solar energy, taking advantage of the bountiful Sicilian sunshine, and in 2015 the island of Pantelleria was given UNESCO certification recognizing its unique vine training method. The name Donnafugata refers to the novel by Tomasi di Lampedusa entitled Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). A name that means “donna in fuga” (woman in flight) and refers to the story of a queen who found refuge in the part of Sicily where the company’s vineyards are located today.