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Donnafugata

Marsala

The Rallo family has made wine in historic Marsala, Sicily since 1851, and their ancient cellars tunnel beneath the city. They were one of the first families to begin making high quality table wine when sales of traditional sweet Marsala started to decline, launching the Donnafugata label in 1983, and championing some of the more obscure regional Italian grape varieties.

One of the most exciting aspects of Donnafugata is their commitment to the tiny island of Pantelleria, where they have 68 hectares of vineyard. Closer to coast of North Africa than it is to Sicily, Pantelleria is famous for its capers, Moscato (here called Zibibbo) and a wind which gusts so fiercely that the low-growing, bush-trained vines sometimes need weighing down with rocks. Donnafugata also have 260 hectares at Contessa Entellina in the hills east of Marsala. Their ultra-modern winery in Marsala serves to preserve the flavours obtained in the vineyard.

Donnafugata means 'fleeing woman' - a reference to Queen Maria Carolina who escaped the court of Naples in the early 19th century with her husband Ferdinand IV of Bourbon when Napoleon’s troops arrived. The couple took refuge in Sicily at Santa Margherita Belice palace, also the favourite residence of celebrated writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and depicted on the ‘Mille e Una Notte’ label. Tomasi di Lampedusa used the name Donnafugata to describe the country estates (where the Donnafugata vineyards are located) of the protagonist in his famous novel ‘Il Gattopardo’ (The Leopard). This was the inspiration for the estate’s trademark image - a woman’s head with a curling mane of windswept hair.

There is an extremely comprehensive website with further information on the wines of Donnafugata, together with a whole host of other information. Visit it here:

The Wines of Donnafugata

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