Sicily

Malvasia

For years, when sailing by the island of Salina, my wife Francesca and I have admired an extraordinary vineyard, overlooking the sea, in an area rich in history where Malvasia is the absolute protagonist.

Attracted by this extraordinary union of land and vines, in 2001 we finally managed to purchase Capofaro. The charm of a vineyard over thirty years old, illuminated by the historic lighthouse of the promontory, had won us over.

As with all our projects, we naturally started from the vineyard, studying it in detail and also measuring ourselves with the producers who had worked it (quite well) before us. A large part of the vineyard has been replanted, while the historical plant material has been retained.

We have thus preserved the best part of the existing plots, the area adjacent to the lighthouse, and in 2004 we planted the “Amphitheatre”

vineyard, which preserves the genetic richness of the old vines already grown at Capofaro, together with the best genetic heritage of other parts of the island.
The soils – volcanic, sandy, well-draining, with high porosity but good capability in terms of maintaining water resources – and the particular climatic dynamism generated by the proximity of the mountain to the sea, have helped us to preserve the fruit and maintain freshness and acidity in the wines.

Today, we have the opportunity to compare our vineyards with others in various areas of Salina (for example, in the upper part of Val di Chiesa) and to study the expressiveness of Malvasia on another island.

In fact, for the past few months we have been taking care of a wonderful vineyard that has been cultivated with passion for years on the nearby island of Vulcano.

Italy

Sicilia

Tenuta Capofaro

Laura was born and raised in Milan, with a PhD cum Laude in Food Preparation Sciences from the University of Milan (1994) and a Masters in Enology from the University of Piacenza (1996). Twenty years ago, she moved her life from the bustling city to work in the Sicilian countryside. She has been Head Enologist at Tasca d’Almerita since June of 2004 and resides at Tenuta Regaleali, the storied home of the Tasca d’Almerita family since 1830 and open-air viticultural laboratory. She oversees winemaking operations for all of Tasca’s five estates, working with a diligent team of agronomists and enologists and collaborating with consulting winemaker, Carlo Ferrini.
She accepted the challenge nearly two decades ago to take the wines of Tasca to a new level, working both with native varietals but also constantly experimenting. Years of dedication and patience along with a sincere fondness for teamwork brought Orsi success both on a national and international level. She was even named Winemaker of the Year in 2010 by the Guida del Giornale di Sicilia.    
When asked to define her ideal wine in three words, Orsi declares: “A wine should be emotional, balanced and above all else express its own unique identity.”  

Sicily

Tenuta Capofaro

3 Wines from 1 Grape Varieties

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