A GREAT SICILIAN VINEYARD

Cantine Settesoli is a community of Sicilian winegrowers, a large Sicilian vineyard, an authentic wine district in the province of Agrigento: in the area between Menfi, Montevago and Santa Margherita di Belice, 70% of about 5,000 families in the community are involved in the company’s activities.

Established in 1958 in Menfi, today it has 2000 partners, 6,000 hectares of vineyards - about 5% of all Sicilian vineyards and 32 grape varieties - three wineries dedicated to wine-making with about 500,000 ql. of grapes processed every year and a facility for packaging and storing the finished products.  

Cantine Settesoli’s wines are made from select grapes, grown to full ripeness, vinified in the area of origin by integrating the local culture, traditional methods, and technological innovation. The constant monitoring of all phenological phases by agronomists at Cantine Settesoli, together with the analysis and the recording of all the soil and climate conditions of the vineyards of each partner, allow determining which grape varieties to plant and where,which planting techniques, what pruning timing and methods, fertilizing, supplemental irrigation and harvest.

The research program includes the behavioral analysis of native as well as international and innovative grape varieties on the Sicilian wine-growing scene, with the aim of always innovating and meeting the needs of international markets. We cultivate the widest variety of grapes in Sicily: 30 different cultivars on six-thousand hectares of land, which represent 7% of vineyards on the island. 

Settesoli’s wine-growing heritage includes typical grape varieties of the Mediterranean region, such as Grecanico, Inzolia and Nero d'Avola, as well as grape varieties that have been recently imported to Sicily, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, and "innovative" varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Petit Verdot. Major research and development activities are also underway on calcareous soils and are aimed at improving the quality of the grapes and therefore at producing, in the medium term, wines that are truly unique and distinctive of the territory.  

The wines produced by Cantine Settesoli are distributed both in Italy and abroad with the Settesoli, Mandrarossa and Inycon brands. The numerous awards received over the years testify to the quality of the wines and include: "Premio Gavi, La Buona Italia" 2015, Sodalitas Social Award, and recently “Three Glasses” by Gambero Rosso – Guida ai vini d’Italia 2018 (2018 Guide of Italy's Wines) awarded to Mandrarossa Cavadiserpe Terre Siciliane IGT 2016 and countless other awards in international wine competitions.

LARGE VOLUMES WITH CERTIFIED QUALITY

Since 2003, the company has been engaged in an important project on traceability and certification of each stage of the production cycle, the result of which is the certainty of being able to offer wines characterized by organoleptic qualities at the best price. Every label produced by Cantine Settesoli bears an ID code that allows you to track the entire production process starting from the vineyards of origin. Every year, moreover, the geo-localized nighttime harvest of the most delicate white-berried grapes is done to preserve the properties and scents without altering them.

SETTESOLI AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Over time, the company has adopted measures to protect the environment and the natural context, of which it is an integral part. There are 7 solar plants in operation, with an installed power of 537 kWp, and a total annual production of about 780,000 Kwh. Cantine Settesoli uses wood fiber-free paper in all the company's packaging, from the labels to the boxes. The lighting of all the yards of the wine-making facilities and of the warehouse dedicated to logistics and the storage of finished products has recently been upgraded by adopting LED lamps.

VISITING THE CELLAR

Settesoli is included in the Terre Sicane (Sycanian Lands) Wine Road, a wine district that declines toward the sea and comprises Menfi, Contessa Entellina, Sciacca, Santa Margherita del Belice and Sambuca di Sicilia. This rural area where vineyards dominate the landscape is dotted with a number of world-famous historical and archaeological sites like Selinunte and the Valley of Temples in Agrigento. This area was also the setting for Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Leopard, published posthumously in 1958, the year that Cantine Settesoli was founded. Throughout the year, Cantine Settesoli welcomes enthusiasts and professionals from all over the world for guided tours that start from the vineyard, continue in the cellar and end with the wine tasting. Cantine Settesoli organizes tours for groups of up to 25 people on request.

CANTINE SETTESOLI AT A GLANCE

Year of foundation: 1958 First harvest: 1965 Properties: Agricultural cooperative Total area: 6,000 hectares Number of partners: 2,000 Number of full-time employees: 56 Number of seasonal workers: 83 2017 Consolidated Revenues: €52,600,000 Number of bottles produced every year: 23,800,000 Percentage of wine bottled out of the total: 70% Breakdown of revenues/bottles: 40% Italy, 60% abroad (more than 40 countries)