Planeta Winery

For five centuries and through seventeen generations, the family has been involved with the course of agricultural evolution in the complex land of Sicily, with an approach always inclined to openness and innovation. During the 1900’s it was Grandfather Vito who showed how to move forwards. Firstly at Menfi he transformed the small family winery into a large co-operative winery that in a short time, under Diego’s management, became a collective property and a model of local development. At the same time as being chairman of the regional institute for vines and wine, Diego contributed as chief mover in the wine making renaissance of Sicily, transforming it into a huge experimental laboratory with illustrious advisers such as Giacomo Tachis, Carlo Corino, Giampaolo Fabris and Attilio Scienza. This – at the time – unconventional approach extended to the winemaking, with Planeta establishing a cult following for its barrel-aged Chardonnay at a time when most Italian white wines were typically consumed straight out of the fermenter. That early success gave Planeta the credibility to open the world’s eyes to the charms of Sicily’s indigenous grape varieties, ushering in a broad range of wines that today owes as much to Grecanico and Nero d’Avola as it does to the winery’s signature Chardonnay. The ever-dynamic Planeta continue to move their inspirational projects forward. They have launched a wine made with grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, began an environmental project called Planeta Terra, and opened a resort hotel, La Foresteria, in Menfi. Nothing stands still for Planeta!