{"id":47633,"date":"2023-02-11T13:00:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-11T18:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/?p=47633"},"modified":"2026-03-10T15:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T19:51:14","slug":"donnafugata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gentologie.com\/en\/fine-dining\/donnafugata\/","title":{"rendered":"Donnafugata: Sicily’s joie de vivre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You may be familiar with the wines of Sicily, if not, we\u2019ll tell you more about them here<\/a>. Often, these have a bad reputation, but this tends to change especially with the Wines of Sicilia DOC<\/a>, especially with winemakers like Donnafugata, whose magnificent products I was able to taste last fall. Follow me to sunny Sicily in this cold and snowy February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnafugata: An historical vineyard<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Donnafugata---Marsala---Estate\"
The Marsala Estate
Photo: Donnafugata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The original estate was founded in 1851 in Marsala, in western Sicily. The latter, the birthplace of the Italian mafia as depicted in the films \u201cThe Godfather<\/a>,\u201d entered the world of wine with enthusiasm, following in the footsteps of English entrepreneurs. The family\u2019s historical cellars in Marsala, mentioned in the introduction, became the beating heart of a new entrepreneurial activity in 1983: Donnafugata, founded by Giacomo Rallo, the fourth generation of a family with more than 170 years of experience in exceptional wine, together with his wife Gabriella, a pioneer in Sicilian viticulture, and now run by their children Jos\u00e9 and Antonio, with a team of passionate people committed to excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Donnafugata---Giacomo-Rallo-Jos\u00e9-Rallo-Gabriella-Anca-Rallo-and-Antonio-Rallo\"
The Family : Giacomo Rallo, Jos\u00e9 Rallo, Gabriella Anca Rallo and Antonio Rallo
Photo: Donnafugata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sicily, an island located in the centre of the Mediterranean, is a wine-growing mainland with extraordinary potential. Donnafugata is the embodiment of this diversity and develops its vineyards in very different contexts: from land overlooking the sea, to hilly and mountainous areas, aiming at the best combination of terroir and grape varieties (more than 20, even outside Sicily).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Donnafugata---Jos\u00e9-Rallo-and-Antonio-Rallo\"
Jos\u00e9 Rallo and Antonio Rallo
Photo: Donnafugata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The company has an historic winery and four estates. In western Sicily, in Contessa Entellina, where Donnafugata was founded, there is a winery, 302 hectares of vineyards and nine hectares of olive groves; in Pantelleria, a volcanic island between Sicily and Africa, the winery in the district of Khamma hosts 68 hectares of Zibibbo vines which are cultivated as low bush vines called \u201calberello pantesco\u201d (UNESCO\u2014intangible cultural heritage) and five hectares of grove olive trees. In eastern Sicily, in Randazzo, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, there is a vineyard with a barrel cellar comprising 35 hectares of vines and two hectares of grove of olive trees. In the DOC Vittoria area, in Acate, the latest generation winery is surrounded by 36 hectares of vineyards. Finally, the legendary family cellars of Marsala are an example of a productive reality that is constantly updated. Here it is possible to visit the scenographic underground barrel cellar. All this history and its various regions are reflected in the different wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An overview of some of the Donnafugata wines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rosa 2021 \u2014 Donnafugata and Dolce&Gabbana<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Dolce&Gabbana-et-Donnafugata---Rosa---Bottle\"
Rosa\u00a02021 \u2014 Donnafugata and Dolce&Gabbana
Photo: Donnafugata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We were welcomed with the beautiful ros\u00e9 wine, the Rosa 2021 from the collection of wines born from the partnership between Donnafugata and Dolce&Gabbana, both of which are extraordinary ambassadors of Sicily: in addition to the Rosa, there is the Tancredi, the Cuordilava and the Isolano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get back to Rosa. Dolce&Gabbana, fascinated by this inimitable colour, strongly desired the production of a ros\u00e9, and the name Rosa was chosen to underline its unique personality. And even Donnafugata has created a new blend of two Sicilian grape varieties. Dolce&Gabbana\u2019s creativity took up the challenge of telling the story of this prestigious wine, taking care of its coordinated image: the immediately recognizable graphics of the materials are inspired by the Sicilian caricature, which represents the island\u2019s craftsmanship, culture and tradition throughout the world.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Dolce&Gabbana-et-Donnafugata---Rosa---Packaging\"
Photo: Donnafugata<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the bottle, we find an original blend of two red grape varieties, among the most representative of Sicilian viticulture: Nerello Mascalese and Nocera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nerello Mascalese, grown on volcanic soil, expresses minerality and a refined floral component. It is very suitable for the production of ros\u00e9 wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nocera is an old, almost forgotten variety with a prestigious past. After years of experimentation, Donnafugata has planted it in its hillside vineyards. Here, Nocera achieves ideal sugar ripeness with a high level of acidity, resulting in a wine with a captivating fruity bouquet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its bright pale pink colour, the wine has an elegant bouquet of Jasmine and rose petals, with delicate notes of peach and white flesh fruits. With a pleasant, mineral and fine fragrance, it surprises with its remarkable persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect for aperitifs with a delicious burrata, raw fish such as Antonio Park sushi<\/a> and delicate meats. Excellent at 10\u201312 \u00b0C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varietal: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n