Settesoli The Soul of Sicily in a Bottle
Settesoli is more than just an extraordinary winery in the coastal Sicilian town of Menfi — it is a tight-knit community of heritage grape growers, 2,000 strong, who have been farming their land for generations.
This network of families takes enormous pride in both their work and their land. Using vineyard wisdom that’s been handed down over the decades, each know exactly how to harness the qualities of their varying microclimates — where myriad soil types and exposures conspire with the sun and sea breezes to capture the essence of this unique territory in every grape.
With veteran winemaker Mimmo DeGregorio leading the charge in the vineyard and winery, Settesoli delivers distinctive wines that allow you to taste the Soul of Sicily.
Settesoli Highlights
Settesoli is a passionate story of over 2,000 grape-growing families who each share in a rich heritage and pride for their viticultural traditions and unique Sicilian terroir.
Every Settesoli wine is estate sourced and bottled and every wine is 100% vegan-friendly.
Intensely focused on being ecologically sound, Settesoli was one of the first wineries in Sicily to install solar panels; water conservation and use of recycled materials are other cornerstone values at the estate.
Settesoli was awarded the VIVA certification for sustainability in viticulture in 2020.
The winery team is led by veteran winemaker Mimmo DeGregorio.
Protecting the Soul of Sicily
Soul. Anima in Italian. The word is often on the lips of the farmers who comprise Settesoli’s network of grape growers, whose intimate knowledge of the land and how best to nurture it has been handed down for generations. These custodians of the land safeguard the vines, protecting them from potential abandonment and unruly urbanization. The future of quality Sicilian viticulture relies on the success of their endeavors.
Their home is Menfi — encircled to the north by gentle hills that undulate downward to the Mediterranean Sea. Settesoli’s vinyards are split between the 2,000 members of the cooperative, and cover the area around Selinunte, the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a Greek town founded 2,600 years ago. Cultural preservation is equally important to the Settesoli team; as such, the Cantine also helps to support the restoration of this important archaeological site.
Terroir
The Sicilian terroir is quite varied and hosts an array of beneficial microclimates — and who better suited to farm this territory than families who have been working the land for so long, that many know each vineyard with their eyes closed.
Five different soil types comprise the territory — sandy, clay, loose packed, silty, limestone — and each imparts special characteristics to the wines. Vines enjoy a variety of exposures and elevations, allowing the plants to capture optimal light during the day. In fact, the Menfi area receives more intense light than other parts of Sicily and in turn produces wines of impressive depth and concentration.
Warm winds from North Africa to the south and cool breezes from the Italian mainland to the north moderate the hot Sicilian temperatures and provide wide diurnal variations, locking in both ripeness and freshness.
A Sunny Outlook on Sustainability
Awareness of their ecological footprint has always driven Settesoli. All packaging is made from recycled cardboard/paper and 60% of the bottles used are made with recycled glass (the weight of the bottles was recently reduced by 25%, reducing CO₂ emissions created during glass production).
Water conservation is another cornerstone of Settesoli’s sustainability efforts. Micro-irrigation and minimal use of water treatments saves 1,000 liters / 264 gallons of water per year.
Pressurized cleaning equipment for tanks saves 95 liters / 25 gallons of water per day (To reduce water consumption, a pressurization system was installed that mixes air and water and operates at high pressure, thus allowing the washing of machinery and vineyards with considerably less water. In addition, equipment that is connected to a pressure washer allows for cleaning and sanitizing the wine tanks using lower amounts of water and detergents.)
Fittingly for a winery whose symbol is the sun, Settesoli was also one of the first wineries in Sicily to install solar panels — today, there are more than 3,000 panels installed on the roofs of the production facilities which generate 15% of the winery’s total energy demands. Capitalizing on Sicily’s abundant sunshine, these solar panels generate clean electricity, with zero carbon emissions and zero use of fossil fuels.
