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Valle dell’AcateVerified Organization


A brief history

“Wine has accompanied mankind throughout history. Wine is culture, a thread winding its way uninterrupted throughout history.
It is something to be handed down, something to take from the past and carry into the future”

Gaetana Jacono, winemaker, tells...

"Valle dell’Acate (literally “Acate Valley”) is located in the historic Contrade Biddini Soprana and Sottana, amid the winding hills of Valle del Dirillo (Dirillo Valley), in the Ragusa province. The Company preserves the knowledge of generations of agricultural entrepreneurs, the love for their land and the taste for excellence of a large family. Giuseppe Jacono founded the cantina in the late 19th century, though the Jacono family had been active in vine growing and winemaking ever since Vittoria became Sicily’s epicentre for exporting wine to France during the 1800s. Since then, this familial vocation has been safeguarded and handed down over generations, driven by a shared desire to establish a name for the family’s wines on an international level.

Today, I have continued this tradition, specializing in the cultivation of the most prized and productive autochthonous vines, creating superior wines, including the crown jewel of Sicilian winemaking: the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG. Over time the company’s spirit has become an authentic expression of the way it makes wine.

I have always been committed to protecting the environment: experimenting with production paths based on the principles of sustainability, using irrigation systems that maximize water efficiency avoiding waste, using them to redevelop the surrounding area through renovations of the cellar and dedicated reception. For this reason, since 2018, the vineyards are certified ICEA organic, but have always been grown organically.

I always works with the idea that the "terroir" represents an important added value in the production of wines. In the territory of the company there are seven distinct soils, each of which contains the essence of Sicily and the province of Ragusa, the wine history of the Jacono Family and the strength and my passion. With the project "7 SOILS FOR 7 WINES", in particular, I have enhanced the vineyards of Biddine Soprana and Sottana in which the terroir is found, associating to each wine the most suitable soil for a characteristic expression, high quality. Every single wine of the Valle dell'Acate of the most prestigious line comes from a soil that has been identified and carefully selected to characterize the individual vine, creating a final product that is a unique and particular expression of the soil that produced it."

Valle dell’Acate Logo

Contrade Biddini Soprana and Sottana
Italy, Sicilia
97011

www.valledellacate.com

ordini@valledellacate.it

+390932874166

Valle dell’Acate Wines

Featured Wines

Valle dell’Acate Il Moro | Magnum Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateIl Moro | Magnum

The vineyards are located in Contrada Biddine Soprana and Contrada Biddine Sottana, roughly 120 meters above sea level, where the soil is extremely dark, almost black in colour. The soil has a medium density tending toward compact, with a fair proportion of small, dark stones. These vines are roughly 20 years old, and produce a Nero d’Avola wine called Il Moro, which is well-structured and marked by strong hints of small red fruits like blackberries, raspberries and black cherries, as well as dark chocolate tannins that are at once powerful and enjoyable. The DOC Sicilia Nero d’Avola, produced entirely from Nero d’Avola grapes and aged in oak, stainless steel, and the bottle for at least nine to twelve months, shows a brilliant ruby red color with garnet highlights. The nose, dominated by notes of wild cherries and raspberries along with perfectly balanced hints of spices, is warm and elegant in aroma. Particularly persistent and with classically austere tannins, it is also a wine of much grace.

Valle dell’Acate Zagra Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateZagra

The vineyards are located along the coast, in the Contrada Biddine Soprana e Contrada Biddine Sottana, where the soil has a sandy-clay structure and characteristic yellow colour. The soil is relatively light, imbuing the wines with freshness and complex scents. Wine produced here includes Zagra, and is savoury and mineral, achieving the fullest possible expression of the three elements inherent to yellow soil, proximity to the sea and well-ventilated slopes. The DOC Sicilia Grillo, produced entirely from Grillo grapes and aged for four months in stainless steel and for another four months in bottle, is a brilliant yellow in colour with characteristic aromas of white flowers and minerals and velvety but lively flavours. The wine has an important structure and persistence along with a savour and mineral character which are quite perceptible.

Valle dell’Acate Il Moro Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateIl Moro

The vineyards are located in Contrada Biddine Soprana and Contrada Biddine Sottana, roughly 120 meters above sea level, where the soil is extremely dark, almost black in colour. The soil has a medium density tending toward compact, with a fair proportion of small, dark stones. These vines are roughly 20 years old, and produce a Nero d’Avola wine called Il Moro, which is well-structured and marked by strong hints of small red fruits like blackberries, raspberries and black cherries, as well as dark chocolate tannins that are at once powerful and enjoyable. The DOC Sicilia Nero d’Avola, produced entirely from Nero d’Avola grapes and aged in oak, stainless steel, and the bottle for at least nine to twelve months, shows a brilliant ruby red color with garnet highlights. The nose, dominated by notes of wild cherries and raspberries along with perfectly balanced hints of spices, is warm and elegant in aroma. Particularly persistent and with classically austere tannins, it is also a wine of much grace.

Valle dell’Acate Il Frappato D.O.C Vittoria Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateIl Frappato D.O.C Vittoria

The vineyards in Contrada Biddine Soprana and Contrada Biddine Sottana are located in low-lying soil at roughly 100 meters above sea level. The soil is black, relatively compact and riddled with white stones. The soil structure makes it possible for roots to oxygenate freely, extending down deep into the ground. The company produces a red wine here, Il Frappato, which draws complex perfumes and a decent acidity from the characteristics of the terrain. The DOC Vittoria Il Frappato, produced entirely from Frappato grapes and aged for stainless steel tanks for six months and for at least three months in bottle, shows a tenuous and brilliant ruby red color together with fragrant and expansive aromas characterized by red berry fruit, particularly raspberries and blackberries, violets, and sage. The flavors are vigorous and fresh with a dry finish, pleasurable and persistent.

Valle dell’Acate Il Frappato D.O.C. Vittoria | Magnum Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateIl Frappato D.O.C. Vittoria | Magnum

The vineyards in Contrada Biddine Soprana and Contrada Biddine Sottana are located in low-lying soil at roughly 100 meters above sea level. The soil is black, relatively compact and riddled with white stones. The soil structure makes it possible for roots to oxygenate freely, extending down deep into the ground. The company produces a red wine here, Il Frappato, which draws complex perfumes and a decent acidity from the characteristics of the terrain. The DOC Vittoria Il Frappato, produced entirely from Frappato grapes and aged for stainless steel tanks for six months and for at least three months in bottle, shows a tenuous and brilliant ruby red color together with fragrant and expansive aromas characterized by red berry fruit, particularly raspberries and blackberries, violets, and sage. The flavors are vigorous and fresh with a dry finish, pleasurable and persistent.

Valle dell’Acate Iri da Iri Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Classico Bottle Preview
Valle dell’AcateIri da Iri Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Classico

In the Biddine Soprana Plateau, in the highest part of the coast at about 200 meters above sea level, there are very light soils with sandy red-orange structure that give wines of great structure and complexity. Iri da Iri Cerasuolo Classico Cru is born from a single vineyard. The blending of the wine takes place immediately after the malolactic fermentation in order to fully fuse, to join completely together the two grapes, Nero d’Avola and Frappato, in a unique whole of color, aroma, and taste. A period of oak aging, then follows, never too long as we prefer a lengthy period of bottle aging. A limited number of bottles with the expressive force of Nero d’Avola and Frappato and their aromatic patrimony: ruby red in color with garnet highlights, notes of fruit and spice, very lively flavors, elegant and juicy, and a tannic patrimony which guarantees longevity.