Wine is probably the only product able to tell us a territory directly in a short time, that of a sip.
The magic of all this comes from a bond that is created when the production methods follow a philosophy aimed at respecting nature and its cycles in order to obtain grapes of great quality and authenticity that will be processed with extreme care in the cellar to express the their real characteristics.
This is exactly what we try to do with passion and dedication, firmly believing in the potential and uniqueness of the place where we cultivate the vine, Virzì, our place of the heart.
We are located in the south-western part of the territory of Monreale, west of Camporeale, not far from the northern coast of Sicily which is about 16 km away.
It is a hilly area characterized by a rural landscape.
There are no inhabited centers in the immediate vicinity, but only countryside with vineyards, olive groves and other crops. Here agriculture has always represented the cornerstone of all activities.
The discovery of the stopper of an amphora from the 5th-6th century AD and other finds are the evidence of a distant time towards which we have great respect, just as we are proud of our past which saw Don Pietro Spadafora make the agricultural activities in Virzì.
Today we feel a strong responsibility towards these places for what we are doing, thinking not only about the present, but also about the future and what we will leave behind.
For this reason, respect for nature, organic farming and environmental sustainability are the cornerstones of our work.
We also believe it is very important to be able to leave a heritage of old vines as a result of our constant and scrupulous care.
The vineyard area extends for 100 hectares around the central nucleus of the winery consisting of the cellar and several adjacent buildings.
This situation of proximity allows the harvested grapes to be processed immediately, maintaining their integrity to the maximum.
The fundamental characteristic of the Virzì territory is the great variety of situations it offers, allowing for different results from place to place.
The vineyards are located on several hills at altitudes between 220 and 400 meters above sea level and have a very wide range of exposures.
The 100 hectares are therefore made up of a large mosaic of small plots that provide the possibility of finding the best place for a definite grape variety, or of having the same grape variety planted in different areas from which different wines will be obtained that combined in blends will give a great result, which happens, for example, for our Principe G, a white wine from Grillo grapes.
It is evident that the great extension represents in our case an important resource.
Of course, to exploit it well, it is necessary to practice an agriculture that respects the vine to the maximum (for us, organic farming has always been a natural consequence of our way of operating) and to limit yields in order to faithfully express the characteristics of the terroir.
A great job that sees every single plant receive constant attention, a long and complex harvest carried out parcel by parcel according to the different ripening and a meticulous study aimed at improving our methods.
There are also vineyards that when vinified individually give important, even exciting results, such as the one facing north on the top of a hill, where Syrah is grown which gives life to our Sole dei Padri.
The climate in Virzì is characterized by a large number of hours of sunshine, by the presence of winds that blow constantly and by temperature variations between day and night that reach values between 10 and 15 degrees.
These are essential factors for the ripening of the fruit, the healthiness of the plants and the aromatic richness of the grapes.
We are not far from the sea, however we do not see the coast due to the presence of some mountains which however play an important role, protecting us from the cold winds coming from the north.
We realize more and more that we are in a unique territory.
Virzì is also our home, the place where we can express our philosophy of life, where we entertain guests with tastings, lunches and dinners, where we produce extra virgin olive oil and cultivate the vegetable garden that gives us many of the ingredients that are the protagonists of our kitchen.
It is the place without which we would not be who we are.
