Open-field grown tomatoes surrounded by grapevines. A little further, a citrus grove and inside it hives where the bees come after having fluttered among the many rows of vines which extend for about 20 hectares. If we look around we can also see the fruits of our memory: almonds, pomegranates, figs and then scents of various essences, as rosemary or mint. When visiting a vineyard it’s not usual to be immersed in such an oasis of flavours and smells; however, here this is possible and is translated into a simple word: biodiversity. Welcome to Vigna di Pettineo.
We are in the Contrada Pettineo, a few kilometres from Acate, a rural village which, until the 60s, was lived by people working in the vineyard. You can still see the old houses and imagine throngs of people animating this village during the harvest period. Men and women who have cultivated the land with passion, the same passion that drove the entrepreneur and winemaker Massimo Maggio to start a biological project in one of the most renowned area suitable for the production of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine.
“The basis of our company philosophy is the respect for the ecosystem. We use the grassing-down technique to protect the soil and allow the development of useful microorganisms. We have planted various blooming blushes in order to attract insects that would otherwise disappeared; we use different green manure leguminous plants and biodegradable materials in the vineyards. We didn’t want to create a desert of grapevines; on the contrary we thought to cultivate different types of trees and plants because we are firmly convinced that animals, plants and microorganisms must continue to co-exist by influencing each other: this is the biodiversity”.
Massimo Maggio
It is precisely in this beautiful land that one of most popular and appreciated Cerasuolo wine was born: 50% Nero d’Avola, 50% Frappato; cherry-red colour with violet hues, red berry fruit scent, spicy aromas of pepper and nutmeg characterized by a full, velvet, and slightly tannic flavour. A great strictly organic full-bodied wine, expression of a unique territory.
