Region: Sicilia

Zone:

Contessa Entellina DOC

Contessa Entellina is the name of a little town in the Palermo province, Sicily, and it's located in the middle of a hilly area at a height of about 6,000 feet. The city was originally founded in the mid-15th century by Greek and Albanian immigrants, who had reached these hills from a military camp in the city of Bisiri.

The city was given the name, Entellina, in 1875, and the name refers to the antique, ancient settlement, Entella, located just outside the modern-day city.

Even though they are located far from the large Sicilian cities, the wines from Contessa Entellina have been known since antiquity. They are mentioned in the writings of Silius Italicus (26-102 A.D.), Strabo (64/63 B.C.E. – 24 A.D.) and Pausanius (2nd century A.D.).

The wine had a reasonable quality, thanks to the favorable growing conditions, which were partly due to the soil and climate, but also to the fields' height, which is always a plus for a wine's development. Despite this, must from grapes in neighboring regions was still added to improve quality.

Wine cultivators in Contessa Entellina were determined to convince the rest of the world that their wine could reach even greater heights. Thus they set in motion a number of innovations, including the introduction of foreign grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Sauvignon, and the results are quite promising.

10 wine varieties, plus a Reserve, are produced in Contessa Entellina, and the zone's strength lies in the red wines, which are aged longer than most other southern Italian wines.

Pay special attention to the wines from Donnafugata.

Read more about the wines from Contessa Entellina DOC by clicking i the top menu in the right side.