Cantine Settesoli

Settesoli was founded in 1958 by a group of forward thinking farmers who were willing to fight the severe economic crisis which spread throughout the territory. In 1974 the company started bottling a selection of wines made from local grape varieties. In the mid 80s Settesoli started growing international varieties. As of today, with its four factories and an overall working capacity of 50.000 tons (over 55.000 US tons) of grapes per year, Settesoli is the largest wine company in Sicily, owning 5% of the vineyards across the island, the biggest in Europe. Twenty million bottles are made in a year and they are sold in 35 countries, with 62% of production allocated to foreign markets.

During the past 40 years Settesoli has promoted and spread the winemaking culture throughout the region, creating a real wine district and employing, directly or indirectly, over the 70% of the 5.000 families residing nearby. This scale of involvement in the local community is unique and holds even greater importance considering that Settesoli works in complete harmony with the environment.

The goal of our company is to have quality in quantity, and to maintain this  quality unchanged over time.

Settesoli wines were  originally sourced from Sicilian grape varieties typical of the Mediterranean region, like the Grecanico, the Inzolia and the Nero d’Avola. The range  was later enriched by importing vines like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. These new varieties were soon producing outstanding wines, allowing us to shift them over to a large scale cultivation.

Today the vineyards are closely monitored by agronomists who select the finest grapes and keep every step of the process under control.. Thanks to modern technology, they are also able to determine the best time for harvesting, when the grapes are ripened by our benevolent climate that allows them to properly mature. Under such favourable conditions they can’t help but give back the natural feel of the land, which oozes through the vibrant colours, the wide variety of  delicate  fragrances and the fresh, fruity flavours. Our experienced oenologists in the cellar do the rest: although we keep close modern techniques and ideas,  the transformation of grapes into wine is still an ancient rite that needs the same dedication and experience as always.

The grapes are harvested by hand and taken to the factory. Here every load is tested by one of the partners, to select the best bunches and to check  the quality of the grapes. . It is only then that the delicate process of winemaking starts, with the Settesoli oenologists carefully supervising every phase.

Using advanced technologies and a refrigeration system, we go through the stages of destemming, crushing, fermentation and classification of each individual lot in order to create specific blends according to quality standards and organoleptic properties.

Winemaking is a fascinating business: like a path made of wisdom, scattered with choices and, more importantly, crossed by people. People who together share their workload, with a distinct feeling they are doing something great. This kind of passion has joined  over 2.000 wine-growers for over  50 years, making Settesoli, our Sicilian winery, a reference point for the entire “Terre Sicane” district. Today Settesoli manages the relationships between members of a large community, working across 15.000 acres as if they belonged to a single vineyard.

Thanks to the decisions we have made during this time, here at Settesoli we now manage to produce quality wines while preserving the environment and supporting the local economy. We market our brands all around the world and we are credited throughout Italy as a leading Sicilian wine producer.