Planeta is one of Sicily's most influential wine families, with a documented agricultural presence on the island since 1694 and a modern wine project launched at the Ulmo estate near Menfi in 1995. Today the seventeenth generation farms five wine territories from Menfi on the Belice coast to Vittoria, Noto, the slopes of Mount Etna and Capo Milazzo, with all vineyards, olive groves and arable land certified organic since 2022. Hospitality at every estate, including the resort and restaurant at La Foresteria di Menfi, makes the cellars themselves the entry point to Sicilian wine.
Sicily
Bookable experiences, curated by our editors. External booking where marked.
Vineyard and winery tour of the Ulmo estate next to the Saracen-era Ulmo fortress, with a tasting of Menfi DOC wines, regional food pairings and Planeta olive oil. Tour at 90 minutes from EUR 55, Grand Tour at 2 hours 30 minutes from EUR 95.
Book this experienceTwo hour vineyard and palmento visit on the north slope of Mount Etna followed by a vertical tasting of Etna Crus, Contrada Taccione and Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, across three vintages, with food pairings and Planeta olive oil. Tour from EUR 130, Grand Tour at three hours from EUR 160.
Book this experienceVineyard and winery tour of the Buonivini estate in the Baroque hills of south-eastern Sicily, with a tasting of Noto DOC wines, food pairings and Planeta olive oil. Tour at 90 minutes from EUR 55, Grand Tour at 2 hours 30 minutes from EUR 95.
Book this experienceVineyard and winery tour of the Ulmo estate next to the Saracen-era Ulmo fortress, with a tasting of Menfi DOC wines, regional food pairings and Planeta olive oil. Tour at 90 minutes from EUR 55, Grand Tour at 2 hours 30 minutes from EUR 95.
Book this experienceThe Planeta family entered the Menfi land record in 1694, when an old stone farmhouse on the Belice plain came into the family by marriage. Seventeen generations of farming followed: cereals, olives, almonds, pasture. The wine business began only in the mid 1980s, when Diego Planeta persuaded his nieces and nephews Alessio, Francesca and Santi to plant Chardonnay and other unfamiliar varieties at the Ulmo estate next to a Saracen-era fortress. The first commercial winery opened at Ulmo in 1995, and the first vintage of Planeta Chardonnay was praised by Luigi Veronelli a year later. Thirty years on, the company runs to a single editorial principle, every territory its own winery, with six cellars across five wine zones. Ulmo and Dispensa at Menfi handle Sicilia DOC and Menfi DOC whites including Cometa, the first Fiano produced in Sicily. Dorilli at Vittoria makes Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG and Frappato. Buonivini at Noto, acquired in 1998, is the home of the family's flagship Nero d'Avola, Santa Cecilia. Sciaranuova on the north slope of Mount Etna produces Etna Bianco and Etna Rosso from the contrade Taccione and Feudo di Mezzo, plus the altitude-grown Eruzione 1614 range. Capparrina above Capo Milazzo produces Mamertino DOC. The catalogue runs to roughly thirty wines. Cometa, La Segreta, the cru Etnas and Santa Cecilia are the most exported references, alongside the prestige wines Burdese, Didacus and the long-aged Allemanda. A separate biodynamic project, Serra Ferdinandea near Sambuca di Sicilia, is run jointly with the Oddo family from France and produces three Sicilia DOC wines, a white, a rosé and a red. Sustainability sits at the centre of the business. Planeta has been certified SOStain Sicilia for sustainable viticulture since 2010, and completed organic conversion across all six estates between 2020 and 2021. Since 2022 every cultivated hectare, vineyards, olive groves, almond groves and cereals, has been organic certified. Olive oils are bottled as DOP Val di Mazara and IGP Sicilia. Alessio Planeta was named Wine Maker of the Year by Wine Star Awards in 2023, and the family was named Wine Family of the Year at the Meininger Awards in 2024. All five wine territories have on-site hospitality. La Foresteria di Menfi, opened in 2009, is a country resort with restaurant, gardens and the Insula Beach Club on the coast below; the recently opened La Segreta Country House sits on the same Ulmo estate. Palazzo Planeta in Palermo offers an apartment hotel, and the Sambuca di Sicilia residence hosts artists. Tasting tours at Ulmo, Sciaranuova and Buonivini pair vineyard walks and cellar visits with Sicilian food and Planeta olive oil, with a vertical Etna Crus tasting available at Sciaranuova.
Editorially verified by ItalianWines.co.uk.
Plate I · SICILY
Planeta's current bottle selection is easiest to understand through Nero d'Avola and Chardonnay.
Est. 1995 
39 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Accommodation
Booking required 
