The grapes come from Santa Ninfa and Pietrarenosa down the valley (250m) on clayey soils. Alessandro points out that grillo is a strong variety that adapts easily to drought and consistently delivers quality and quantity. The vines are 15 years old. The grapes were harvested in early September at 40hh and directly pressed. Fruit forward with lovely pear skin bitters, it is joyful, fresh, and lifted by a citrusy and salty finish. An extremely smashable wine.

 Alessandro Viola

Alessandro Viola is a very small producer located in the northwest corner of Sicily, south of Palermo. 

Alessandro’s father was a vine grower, although he bottled very little of the wine he made. Alessandro was fascinated by grape growing from an early age, and after a few vintages of self-teaching, he decided to get a formal education and study oenology. During his university studies, he steered away from the mechanical side of winemaking he was being taught, instead focusing on the science. He strongly believed that as long as the grapes, soil, and winemaking were all working together, nothing needed to be added or taken away from the wine. After his university degree, he worked in the north of Italy and then for a larger winemaker on Mt Etna, however, he had never forgotten the wines he had made before, made by hand without anything added.

Eventually, he started making wine for himself, initially with a friend, before branching out to make wines under his own name. Today, he cultivates 7 hectares of organically-farmed vines worked strictly by hand. The vineyards are located in 2 areas. The first in Pietra Rinosa close to Alcamo in the north-western tip of Sicily, where the soil is made of clay and the vineyards sit at 200m above sea level, taking a large influence from the ocean. The second asea is in Fastuchera, where the vineyards are higher, at 400 meters. The soil is calcareous, producing finer, more mineral-driven wines.

Alessandro is strictly committed to growing and championing local varieties, including Catarratto, Grillo, Nero D’avola and Nerello Mascalese. His style is unique, and his commitment to organic and biodynamic practices with no additions is central to his winemaking philosophy.