Firriato

Firriato is a unit of measurement, a clear concept, the result of a business decision capable of transforming itself into promise and devotion. Recalling a production history that holds such importance for the world of high-quality Sicilian wine in a few brief lines could result in a rash and inadequate summary. Because Firriato is a company that is a living, warm-blooded organism that thrives on nature, identity and passion. We are in the province of Trapani, one of the most magical parts of the wine region of Sicily, where centuries of vine growing have given this area a natural ability to produce wines with a strong sense of identity. It was the start of the eighties when Salvatore Di Gaetano, a businessman with a passion for his homeland, saw the right elements in this picture-postcard landscape to bear the fruit of his freely declared passion: high-quality wine.

Firriato is the crowning achievement of this dream, a company that in three decades has become one of the biggest production companies in Sicily, a reference for Made in Italy excellence acknowledged all over the world. Right from the onset, Salvatore Di Gaetano has gambled on the oenological potential of traditional vines. Nero d’Avola, Perricone and Nerello Mascalese, but also Zibibbo, Grillo and Catarratto, with Firriato have all become wines that have crossed the oceans, reaching far away cities and entering into the heart of enthusiastic wine lovers. Harmonium, Ribeca and Santagostino are wines that have made the company famous, along with its lead players. Wines of the utmost prestige, bearing witness to a production style capable of giving due value to wines produced in Sicily. Harvest after harvest, Firriato has implemented a modern wine making plan based on viticulture that enhances and valorises the varietal features of every vine planted. A production philosophy that in just a few years has become the unmistakable mark of a style that has led to the production of wines with a strong sense of identity. They are recognisable right from the first sip, have been awarded accolades from critics and are enjoyed by wine lovers all over the world.

Over the years, the challenge became even more exciting when the company set itself the goal of presenting new wines that are a perfect reflection of Sicily. The original production area in the countryside of Trapani was increased, investing in Etna and the Aegadian Islands. The new estates, Cavanera on the volcano and Calamoni on Favignana, have enabled Firriato to present itself to the world with a complexity of soil and climate conditions that only Sicily manages to encompass in one large land bathed in sunlight.
Firriato’s strength lies in the consistent choices it has made. Especially those that focus on nature, biodiversity, protecting the landscape and innovation. A profile that is most emblematic in the management of its vineyards, considering that all of them are certified organic. Only a large, well-run company is capable of managing six agricultural estates so different from each other, dealing with a complex range of tasks that require constant overseeing and attention. This is something that Salvatore Di Gaetano and his family are proud of and know that the company’s entire team share that pride, both in the vineyards and in the winery.

Today the strong affection for Sicily has been given new strength thanks to the arrival of Irene, Salvatore and Vinzia’s daughter, and her husband, Federico Lombardo di Monte Iato, who are taking the family dream forward with passion. If the wine-producing region of Sicily has gained great acceptance on an international level, it is partly due to Firriato, as it has actively contributed to revealing the value of Sicilian wine to the rest of the world. The Di Gaetano family’s company was one of the first production companies on the island to look beyond the national border, passionate in raising the awareness of a unique territory, a crossroad of cultures and ancient civilizations that tell of a history ranging from the Phoenicians to the Arabs, from the Normans to the Spaniards. A cultural success before becoming a commercial one, concrete evidence of a hard-working and productive Sicily capable of taking on the role of ambassador of Italian excellence throughout the world.

With the revival of Sicilian wines, Firriato began implementing a project during the nineties designed to safeguard and restore the island’s varied land. The first estates in the countryside of Trapani were added to over time by the acquisition of Cavanera on Etna and Calamoni on the island of Favignana. Piece by piece, the Di Gaetano family has built up a mosaic of inestimable value for the entire Sicilian wine making industry and now offers a complete overview of the extent of the Sicilian terroir through its wines. Firriato’s philosophy is based on great respect for the land in which it operates, because wines of excellent quality, capable of filling the glass with the distinctive sensory characteristics that reflect the terroir of origin, can only be obtained by gaining a thorough knowledge of every single section of the vineyard.

Firriato’s estates encompass a complete map of the various types of terroir found in Sicily and are composed as follows: the estates in the countryside of Trapani, hectares of land stretching as far as the eye can see, nestled in the hills of a Sicilian countryside marked by an age-old tradition in agriculture, where the cultivation of vines has accompanied and marked the lives of its inhabitants since time immemorial; the Cavanera estate on Etna, a unique and singular terroir, where man has always practiced a heroic form of mountain viticulture, respecting the majestic force of the volcano that is its host; and finally the Calamoni estate on the island of Favignana, where a heroic form of coastal viticulture is practiced, battling against impracticable weather conditions caused by the close influence of the sea. Firriato’s latest acquisitions, the estates on Etna and Favignana, are the perfect reflection of a Sicilia that is, geographically speaking, poles apart. They practice two completely different viticultures, coastal and mountain, but they possess the strength to coexist and develop within that production philosophy of oenological excellence and valorisation of the land that Firriato has always striven for and desired. The wines produced on Etna and Favignana are rare pearls that Firriato is collecting in line with a wine-producing strategy focused on the observation and development of frontier territories for niche market, top-quality wines.