Feudi di Santa Tresa

The Feudo (or estate) of Santa Tresa dates back to 1697 – since that time, wine has always been made here.

In 2002, Stefano Girelli and his sister Marina joined forces with Massimo Maggio to take over the ancient Santa Tresa estate. They have all worked all their lives in wine production and on discovering the wonderful vineyards at Santa Tresa, they set about restoring the estate to its former glory – something they have worked on tirelessly ever since. Our fundamental ethos is to work in harmony with the natural environment at Santa Tresa and this is the lifeblood of the estate – the cornerstone of everything that they do.

They have built on the foundations of the seventeenth century estate, maintaining its traditions and respecting the indigenous flora and fauna. They immediately found the conditions for growing grapes were so perfect that they could cultivate our vines in the most natural, non-interventionist way possible, which ultimately culminated in the estate becoming certified organic with the 2009 vintage. They believe that by working hand in hand with nature, they will not only leave a long-standing legacy of a fully sustainable wine-growing estate, but the quality and character of our wines benefits greatly as a result – a win-win situation!

Stefano Girelli worked for the family firm, Casa Girelli for over 30 years, and is a very well-respected figure in the Italian and international wine trade. Now managing director of both The Wine People and Feudo di Santa Tresa, Stefano has a busy life!

Massimo Maggio was born and raised in Vittoria and has worked in the wine business there all his working life, following in his father’s footsteps.

Marina Girelli worked with Stefano in the family firm and continues the family tradition working together at Santa Tresa.

Stefano Chioccioli is one of Italy’s leading consultant wine-makers, making and over-seeing the winemaking at top estates in Tuscany and around the country.

Laura D'Angelo handles the day to day management, administration and the commercial side of the estate, from processing orders, to receiving customers and organizing tastings.

Angelo Marangio is the vineyard manager and looks after the estate on a day-to-day basis and is the guardian of the organic nature of Santa Tresa. Anything that grows is managed by him – from the beautifully-tended vines, to the Sicilian gardens, to the favino – special beans grown for composting. Angelo is also the bee-keeper on the estate!

The soil on the estate has ideal characteristics: a 40-100 centimetre surface layer of light red sandy loam on a well-drained limestone base, which helps to guarantee a constant supply of vital water. Today, the Feudo di Santa Tresa estate has around 50 hectares of vineyards. The minute selection of the clones and rootstocks and the vine density (ca. 5000/5500 vines per hectare) means cultivation techniques can be simple, while at the same time strictly controlled. The natural quality of the vines and grapes is so exceptional that it would be foolhardy to intervene more than absolutely necessary.

We are extremely proud to be certified organic, but we are so much more than that – it is our way of life, our mind-set and not just the absence of pesticides that we are talking about here. We take a completely holistic approach to everything we do in order to ensure that we preserve the natural environment, giving something back where ever we can, and planning  for the long-term.

Organic cultivation of vines basically means going back to basics – treating the natural environment with respect and considering our legacy.  At Santa Tresa we have the perfect conditions for organic cultivation:  we have an ideal climate – and abundance of sunshine and a cooling sea breeze, meaning that rot in the grapes is not a threat.  The soil is rich in minerals and is perfectly suited to the grape varieties we grow, so in short, we have the perfect opportunity to grow wonderfully healthy grapes with the addition of no pesticides or chemicals and that is what we do!

The grapes are very gently de-stemmed in order to keep each individual grape as intact as possible.  The grapes are carefully inspected to make sure no foliage goes into the wine. Stainless steel tanks are vital for temperature control in climates like Sicily’s.