TENUTA BASTONACA-SICILY & PANTELLERIA

The company of the spouses Silvana Raniolo and Giovanni Calcaterra takes its name from the place where its main nucleus is located, the Bastonaca district, an area that has always been considered among those of greatest value in the context of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.

Here, at an altitude of approximately 200 meters above sea level, we find 15 hectares of vineyards, all trained as saplings, olive groves and an ancient eighteenth-century millstone. In addition to local varieties such as Nero d'Avola and Frappato, the non-native Grenache and Tannat are cultivated. The work in the vineyard is carried out manually according to the principles of organic farming with great respect for nature. No type of irrigation is used to ensure that the peculiar aromas of the territory are concentrated in the grapes as much as possible.

The “Alberelli di Sicilia” project began in 2016 which saw the acquisition of small plots with sapling vines in other areas of the island capable of expressing strong typical features with authentic wines. Thus three hectares of Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante in the Piano dei Daini district of Solicchiata, on the northern side of Etna, became part of the property. Furthermore, a small, very old Zibibbo vineyard was recently purchased on Pantelleria in the Mueggen district. Today, therefore, the Tenuta Bastonaca range is made up of wines that are the result of different sites: in the Vittoria area some reds are made (including a Cerasuolo di Vittoria Docg Classico) and a white, then there are two Etna Doc (Bianco and Rosso) and finally a dry white from Pantelleria. Overall, around 60 thousand bottles are produced every year.

We really liked the Pantelleria Dop Bianco 2022, a wine that brings with it the aromatic richness and Mediterranean character of its places of origin. It is made with 100% Zibibbo (Moscato d'Alessandria) grapes coming from 90-year-old vineyards trained as a creeping Pantesco sapling, which extend for one hectare in the Mueggen district on the island of Pantelleria. Located at 230 meters above sea level on volcanic soil, sandy and rich in pumice. The planting density is 3 thousand vines per hectare with yields of approximately 40 quintals per hectare. The harvest is carried out by hand using small boxes around mid-August. The winemaking involves fermentation at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, where the wine then ages for 6 months. Before being placed on the market, it is left to remain in the bottle for at least 2 months.