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Over the last decade or so, many fantastic wines have emerged from Sicily, where temperature-controlled fermentation and Sicilian winemakers’ embrace of contemporary vineyard management and growing practices have revolutionized the wine trade there.

While appellations like Mt. Etna and Vittoria in the east have captivated the attention of American wine lovers, true connoisseurs of Italian wine have never forgotten the western fine wine growing traditions, which perhaps more aptly represent Sicily’s historic winemaking legacy.

Although scarcely known in the United States, Porta del Vento, an organic grower who makes wines using indigenous grape varieties from the Monreale and Alcamo appellations, is one of the most respected artisanal estates working on the island today. And the wines are as vibrant as they are reflective of local viticultural tradition. We couldn’t be more proud to represent them here at Vignaioli Selection.

From the Porta del Vento website:

The Porta del Vento wine estate is situated at 600 meters a.s.l. in a valley forming part of the Valdibella (Camporeale) district in the province of Palermo, in the Alcamo and Monreale DOC appellation areas. Ten hectares were planted to vine between 1974 and 1984 in a vineyard – the highest of the province – having a light sandy soil resting above a sandstone crust. Expert farmers aligned the vines in rows along the steep slopes, orienting them northwards, in order to protect from too much sun. The area is very windy with great day-night temperature swings.

Our grapes are certified organic and only appropriate sulphur- and copper-based products are hand-sprayed directly onto the plants to avoid the accumulation of substances in the soil. Hand-hoeing is practiced along the rows. We do not use any chemical weed and pest control products or fertilizers. We try to understand and maintain the balance of the spontaneous vegetation (grass), paying particular attention to biodiversity. The hand-picked grapes are collected in boxes and taken immediately to the wine estate cellar, where they undergo a fermentation process. We try to rack our wines as little as possible and we do not filter them so as not to deprive them of the elements that make them truly unique. Thus they express the terroir and convey wonderful emotions to discriminating wine enthusiasts.