Casa Vinicola Firriato

Common questions

• Who owns Firriato? add remove
  The Di Gaetano family. Salvatore Di Gaetano, a Sicilian businessman, founded it in the early 1980s with his wife Vinzia. Their daughter Irene and her husband Federico Lombardo di Monte Iato are now taking the business forward.
• Where is Firriato? add remove
  The winery and cellars are at Paceco, just outside Trapani in the far west of Sicily. The vineyards sit in three places: the hills around Trapani, the north-east slope of Etna near Castiglione di Sicilia, and the island of Favignana. Visitors go to Baglio Sorìa, a short drive from Trapani, or to the Cavanera estate on Etna.
• Can you visit Firriato? add remove
  Yes, at two estates. Baglio Sorìa near Trapani runs guided tastings of four wines with an olive oil tasting, and longer versions with a platter or a full lunch. Cavanera on Etna adds a walk through the vineyards and cellar before the glasses. The cards on this page show what can be booked now and what it costs. At Baglio Sorìa, tastings run in Italian and English and nobody under 16 is served.
• Can you stay at Firriato? add remove
  Yes. Baglio Sorìa, the family's restored farm courtyard near Trapani, has 16 rooms, the Santagostino restaurant, two wine bars, a wine shop and a pool. Cavanera Etnea, on the volcano, has rooms, a pool, a wine bar and a restaurant, La Riserva Bistrot. On Favignana the family lets apartments at the Calamoni estate. All three are booked through the estates' own websites.
• Is Firriato organic? add remove
  Yes. Every Firriato vineyard is certified organic. The family says the conversion began in 2007 and the certificate arrived in 2010. The company also says its whole production has been carbon neutral since 2017, checked under the ISO 14064 standard for greenhouse gases.
• Which Firriato wine should I try first? add remove
  Start with Altavilla della Corte Grillo, a crisp dry white from the Borgo Guarini hills, or Harmonium, the rich Nero d'Avola that made the estate's name. For Etna, Le Sabbie dell'Etna comes as a red, a white and a rosé, and Cavanera Ripa di Scorciavacca is the white that won Tre Bicchieri for its 2021 vintage. Ribeca is the one to try if you have never met Perricone, a deep Sicilian red.