Di Giovanna

Monte Genuardo, Sicily, Italy

Di Giovanna are titans of Western Sicilian fine wine. The Estate was founded in 1860 and passed down through five generations to current caretakers Gunther & Klaus di Giovanna, bold visionaries that have grown an international following over these past 25 years, spearheading organic viticulture in Sicily with their 1997 certification (one of the first on the island to do so) and standing by their indigenous varieties.

Di Giovanna’s poly-farm extends almost 100 hectares and is composed of 65 hectares of vineyards, 14 hectares of olive groves, and 21 hectares of wheat fields and forests. The family’s five distinct vineyards lay in the heart of the Terre Siciliane appellation, falling into two sub-DOC’s on either side of the ancient Monte Genuardo, a government protected nature reserve and oasis of biodiversity. 

The Contessa Entellina DOC hosts their 'Miccina', 'Gerbino’, and 'Paradiso' vineyards, planted on slopes 350-480 meters above sea level with quintessentially Sicilian soils of volcanic tuff intermingled with limestone rich clays. Their even higher elevation ‘San Giacomo' and 'Fiuminello' vineyards (680-830m) climb the Eastern slope of Monte Genuardo and surround the family’s cellars in the DOC of Sambuca di Sicilia. If you want to know more about the characteristics of this area you can take a look at www.vinerra.com

The elevation of their 350-830m vineyards are an important check to Sicily’s hot summers and creeping climate change, so much so that many of their plots receive snow over the winter months. In terms of farming choices, Gunther and Klaus and their parents have been about quality over quantity long before the market for Sicilian wine could command anything more than table wine prices. To this day, Di Giovanna employs aggressive green harvesting (up to 55% of the crop!) to limit yields and amplify quality. This emphasis continues in the cellars where they only keep their free run juice from glacially slow pressings, selling every drop of their press juice to bulk wineries and distilleries, keeping only the best for their estate cuvées.