At the end of last month Store Manager Richard was lucky enough to go on a trip visiting 3 wineries in Sicily with one of our suppliers, Liberty Wines. Here Richard shares his experience and introduces you to a selection of all the fabulous wines from his trip which are now available in store, Upstairs at Campbell's. If you wish to reserve any for collection, please contact: richard@campbellsofleyburn.co.uk or tel 01969 624391 (Please note: Products and pricing details subject to change and correct at time of publiction 15/5/2025.) Hello Sicily! Our trip began early Monday morning with an early flight from Edinburgh direct to Palermo. There were 8 of us on the trip, my rep Steve Day and 3 other Northern customers, then 2 customers from Edinburgh with the director of sales Mike Stewart. After departing Edinburgh in glorious sunshine, we arrived in what we thought would be sunny Sicily (hence donning my shorts!), only to be met on arrival by a heavy thunderstorm soaking us to the skin! After picking up our hire cars it was on the road straight to our first winery, around 1 hours drive south. |
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Donnafugata Contessa Entellina Estate We arrived safely at Donnafugata Contessa Estate which is one of five estates they have on the island. In 1983, the Rallo family founded Donnafugata to champion the potential of Sicily's indigenous varieties. In the decades since, their unwavering dedication to this founding principle has resulted in “some of Sicily’s top wines, if not all of Italy’s” (Eric Guido, Vinous). The family has made wine in Marsala since 1851, where their ancient cellars tunnel beneath the city. They were one of the first families to make high-quality table wine when sales of traditional Marsala started to decline. Today, Donnafugata has five estates in Sicily: the historic Rallo family cellars in Marsala, a modern winery and 343 hectares at Contessa Entellina in the hills east of Marsala, 42 hectares in Vittoria towards the south-eastern point of the island, 68 hectares on the island of Pantelleria, and 35 hectares on the slopes of Etna. After enjoying a light lunch, we were taken for a visit of the winery and nearby vineyards to learn more about their operation. At the estate we visited the vineyards are where Donnafugata was born and are in the heart of western Sicily, amongst the hills of Contessa Entellina. There is a Mediterranean climate, with rain concentrated in the autumn and winter months, dry and breezy summers, with a great range of varying air temperature between day and night. A deep love for one’s land has always been the soul of Donnafugata. A desire to produce quality wines that respect the environment: “From the vineyard to the bottle, there is no quality without sustainability” This is applicable to each of the estates they own and to prove it to us we were led inside and onto the serious business of tasting their wines! |
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 NEW - Donnafugata, `Vigna di Gabri` 13.0% vol £31.99 Grapes Ansonica, Catarratto, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier The grapes for this wine are sourced from the Vigna di Gabri vineyard, on the Contessa Entellina estate in south-west Sicily. The vineyard stands at an altitude of between 200-300 metres above sea level. Soils are clay loam and rich in nutrients. The vines are trained on a vertical shoot position system and cordon spur pruned. Average planting density is 4,500 - 6,000 vines per hectare and yields are approximately six tonnes per hectare. Vinification The grapes were softly pressed and the must was fermented at 14-16°C in stainless steel tanks. Eighty five percent of the wine matured in cement vats and 15% on its lees in second use French oak barriques for six months. The wine was then aged for at least 3 months in bottle before release. Tasting Notes Vigna di Gabri has a straw yellow colour with light green reflections. Classic white peach aromas combine with floral notes of elderflower and wild flowers. The palate reflects the nose, enlivened by a fresh savoury streak. This is a fine and elegant white, with an intriguing personality and surprising longevity. This was the first wine we tasted and wow, it was so interesting and complex with so much going on - what an introduction! |
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NEW - Donnafugata, `Sherazade` Nero d'Avola 13.5% vol £19.49 The fruit for Sherazade comes from South-western Sicily. The vineyards are planted on clay loam soils, rich in nutritive elements and total limestone from 20 to 35%. The altitude is between 200 - 400 metres above sea level. Since the 2009 vintage, Sherazade has been made solely from Nero d'Avola grapes, which are planted at approximately 5,000 vines per hectare, trained using vertical shoot positioning and spur pruned. Vinification After gentle pressing, the must was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with a 6-8 day maceration on the skins at 24-25°C. Following malolactic fermentation, the wine remained in tank for four months before bottling. It then spent at least five months in the bottle before release. Tasting Notes Brilliant ruby red with violet hues. On the nose, Sherazade has a bouquet of fragrant red plum and cherry with light spicy and floral notes of violet. The palate is soft and enveloping with smooth tannins and a spicy fruit profile that reflects the nose and reveals extraordinary freshness. |
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| NEW - Donnafugata, `Floramundi` Cerasuolo di Vittoria 13.0% vol £28.99 Grapes Nero d`Avola, Frappato The fruit for this wine comes from vineyards in Acate, in the region of Vittoria, south east of Sicily. The vineyards are located on slopes at 120-150 meters above sea level. The soils here are sandy with a substratum of calcareous tuff and clay with a pH of 7.7, and limestone present at 21%. Vines are trained with vertical shoot positioning with spurred cordon pruning. The planting density is 4,000-4,500 plants per hectare with yields of 70-80 quintals per hectare. Vinification Once at the winery, the grapes were fermented in stainless-steel tanks with maceration on the skins lasting about 10 days at a temperature of 25°- 28°C. After malolactic fermentation, ageing took place in stainless-steel tanks for seven months followed by at least nine months of ageing in the bottle. Tasting Notes This wine has an intense ruby red colour with brilliant purple hues. On the nose, it has intense fruity aromas of black cherry and blueberries. On the palate, it opens with delicate flowery flavours and characteristic spicy notes of black pepper, the flavours are supported by a refreshing acidity with fine and well-integrated tannins. This wine is great paired with meats, but also with fish such as tuna steaks. |
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| NEW - Donnafugata, `Sul Vulcano` Etna Bianco Carricante 12.0% vol £34.99 Grapes Carricante The grapes for this wine are grown in vineyards on the north side of Etna, in five districts between Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia, at altitudes of 700-750 metres above sea level. The vineyards benefit from a broad diurnal shift that helps to preserve the grapes’ freshness and aromas. The volcanic soils are rich in minerals, allowing the vine roots to grow deep into the ground. Vines are trained to vertical shoot position and are planted at a density of about 4,500 plants per hectare. Vinification Once arrived at the winery, the grapes were fermented in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures of 14-16°C. After fermentation, the wine was aged in both stainless-steel tanks and second and third use French oak for 10 months. It was then bottled and rested for a further 12 months before release. Tasting Notes This wine is straw yellow in colour with golden reflections. The nose boasts aromas of golden apple and citrus fruit, with subtle notes of Mediterranean herbs and flint. The palate is fresh and savoury, with mineral characters and a persistent finish. |
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| NEW - Donnafugata, `Sul Vulcano` Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese 14.0% vol £34.99 Grapes Nerello Mascalese Vinification Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes underwent selection on a vibrating table, separating out any green or overripe grapes. Fermentation took place in stainless steel with maceration on the skins for 8 to 10 days at 25 °C. The wine was aged for 12 months, split between stainless steel tanks and French oak (second and third passage barriques). There was a further 10 months in bottle before release. Tasting Notes Pale ruby red in colour with an elegant bouquet of raspberries, cherries and mint on the nose. The palate is fresh with nuances of white pepper from the time in oak. The wine has silky tannins with a balanced and persistent finish. |
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Mandrarossa Winery After saying our thank you and goodbyes, we headed off to our overnight stay in Menfi situated on the South coast. After checking into our hotel, it was off again for more food and wines at a nearby restaurant. Here we met up with two representatives from our next winery visit, Mandrarossa, where we enjoyed their company with a selection of local dishes served up with a variety of their wines. What wines were left were collected and finished off back at our hotel. The Mandrarossa wines hail from a selection of the best sites within Cantine Settesoli’s 6,000 hectares of vineyard in southwestern Sicily, planted with 32 grape varieties. The vineyards are split between the cooperative's 2,000 members and cover the area around Selinunte, the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a Greek town founded 2,600 years ago. Cantine Settesoli helps support the restoration of this archaeological site. First produced in 1999, Mandrarossa opened its own winery in 2021. They have one of the largest solar energy installations in the Italian winemaking sector, with their solar panels fuelling this completely sustainable winery, which is well integrated into the surrounding hills. Since then, Mandrarossa has increasingly focused on single-site wines after mapping the diverse soils of its vineyards and identifying its best sites. It is now all about quality over quantity. Under the leadership of co-operative president Giuseppe Bursi, consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini has sought to improve viticulture, focusing on minimal intervention in the vineyards, resulting in better wines. Working with soil-mapping expert Pedro Parra and head winemaker Mimmo De Gregorio, Alberto has selected 500 hectares of vineyards from 160 growers to produce the Mandrarossa wines. These vineyards are close to the sea, where intense sunlight, moderating sea breezes, mild temperatures, multiple elevations and a myriad of different soil types combine to create the quality of grapes that Mimmo and Alberto are looking for. Pedro has also singled out limestone as the soil with the highest potential for quality wines. Given the wealth of sites and varieties at their disposal, it isn’t surprising that Mandrarossa now has several different styles of wines. Their native varieties focus on Sicilian grapes such as Nero d’Avola, Grillo, Grecanico and dry Zibibbo. Their international varieties include Syrah, Chardonnay and Fiano, “the foreigner” from across the straits of Messina. The ‘Selection’ wines are named after different ‘contrade’, small districts within a commune whose wines have shown an individuality that warrants their own distinctive blend. The ‘Cartagho’ hails from a sandy vineyard in the Torrenova ‘contrada’, regarded as Sicily’s best source of Nero d’Avola. |
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Mandrarossa Winery The following morning (in bright sunshine) they arrived at our hotel around 9.30am for us to follow them along the interesting and eventful back roads (we think we have pot hole issues?!) stopping off at some of their vineyards for an insight into how they choose the varietals to plant, based on the soil type, elevation and weather conditions. Then it was onto the winery for a tasting of the range, followed by a light lunch before heading onto our next destination. |
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| Mandrarossa, `Ciaca Bianca` Fiano Sicily 75cl 13% vol £13.99 This wine is bright yellow in colour with youthful hues. On the nose, it has fresh and fragrant aromas of jasmine, basil and grapefruit, tomato leaf and laurel. The palate is fresh and mineral, with hints of aromatic herbs such as oregano and mint, and excellent length.   Mandrarossa, Grillo, Sicily 75cl 13.5% vol £13.99 This wine is pale straw yellow in colour. On the nose, there are aromas of grapefruit, white peach, Sicilian nespola with a hint of basil. The palate is fresh and intense, with bright citrus and stone fruit characters culminating in a persistent finish. This is already a firm favourite with many of you, but if you are yet to try this, I highly recommend you do.  |
 Mandrarossa, Nero d'Avola, Sicily 75cl 13.5% vol £13.99 The Sicilian red grape icon. This wine is medium ruby red in colour with purple hints. On the nose, it has aromas of black cherries, plums and red berries. The palate is velvety with intense fruit flavours of plums and red berries.recommend you do. |
 Mandrarossa, Syrah, Sicily 75cl 13.5% vol £13.99 As well as producing all the local indigenous grapes, Mandrarossa produce a number of International grapes including this Syrah. To be honest my initial thoughts were why? Personally if I want a Sicilian wine, then I would prefer a Sicilian grape. However this wine convinced me that it works and we should stock it. It is everything you look for in a Syrah, delicate, floral and fruity, spicy and balanced. This wine is medium ruby red in colour with purple hints. On the nose, it has aromas of black cherries, plums and red berries. The palate is velvety with intense fruit flavours of plums and red berries. |
 Mandrarossa, Zibibbo Secco, Sicily 75cl 13.0% vol £13.99 The wine is straw yellow in colour. The nose is intense and aromatic with notes of almond, apricot, and orange blossom. On the palate, the wine is complex and medium-bodied with a beautiful acidity and excellent persistence. |
 Mandrarossa, Frappato, Sicily 75cl 13.0% vol £13.99 This wine is intense ruby red in colour with purple hues. On the nose, it has aromas of morello and marasca cherries, notes of small red berries and sweet spices. The palate is mineral and balanced with a long finish. This wine was a firm favourite between us all. Very easy drinking, even can be served slightly chilled to bring out its floral notes, a great summer wine to drink on its own or that can pair with fish dishes such as fresh tuna, fish soup as well as grilled chicken. |
 Mandrarossa, `Cartagho` Nero d'Avola, Sicily 75cl 13.5% vol £25.99 The Cartagho vineyard is located in the Menfi area, on the south-west coast of Sicily. The vines grow on south-west facing hills at 150 metres above sea level, where soils are sandy. They are Guyot trained and planted at a density of 4,500 plants per hectare. After being crushed and destemmed, the grapes underwent fermentation and maceration in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for up to 10 days at 22-25°C. The wine was then matured in barriques for 12 months, and then refined in the bottle for a further four months. Tasting Notes This wine is intense red in colour with purple reflections. On the nose, it has powerful aromas of wild blackberries and sour cherries. The palate is full and balanced with intense flavours of black fruit complemented by hints of dates and maritime pine. The finish is long and smooth.  |
| Mandrarossa, `Bertolino Soprano` Grillo, Sicily 75cl 13.0% vol £31.99 The grapes come from a 2.5-hectare single vineyard located in the hills of Contrada Bertolino Soprano, in the comune of Menfi. The six-year-old vineyard has south-west exposure, and is planted at an altitude of 180 metres above sea level, on chalky soils. It was for these chalky soils that the vineyard site was selected after a long period of study on the area. Vines are Guyot trained, with a density of 3,960 vines per hectare. Vinification These Grillo grapes were hand-harvested. After being crushed and destemmed, the grapes were immediately cooled to between 5 - 8°C, where they remained for four to six hours. After a soft pressing, the must was fermented for 15/20 days before spending one month in a concrete tulip tank at 16 - 18°C. Finally, the wine was moved into large, untoasted French oak barrels to allow further ageing prior to bottling. Tasting Notes A bouquet of floral scents and herbaceous notes, combined beautifully with white peach and citron aromas. A pristine, fresh and linear palate, this wine has brilliantly balanced acidity with a vibrant and lengthy finish. Having tried this for the first time at the restaurant the previous night, it once again delivered as the stand out wine and probably my personal favourite on the trip. The salinity along with the complexity from its cask ageing is always something I love in wines.  Light Lunch? After sampling through around 18 wines, it was time for some food and according to our itinerary, this was to be a light lunch before our afternoon departure to our next winery in Marsala. After serving us 3 small courses of super tasty local dishes, we thought we had finished, so thanked them all for our day. However to be then told we haven't finished yet, as another 3 courses followed, matched of course with a different wine with each course to go with it! We then had an hour or so journey to digest all this before arriving at our hotel in Marsala to freshen up, before heading out to our final winery Curatolo Arini.  Curatolo Arini Curatolo Arini, founded in 1875 by Vito Curatolo Arini, is run by the family’s fifth generation, making it the oldest family-owned Marsala producer still in existence. Alberto Antonini is Curatolo Arini’s consultant winemaker. His influence is evident in the wines, combining the richness that Sicily can easily provide with the freshness only someone with Alberto’s experience can retain. Thanks to the favourable climate in Sicily, consistency in quality can also be assured from vintage to vintage. The Marsalas are made traditionally and offer a great alternative to Sherry. Ernesto Basile, a famous Palermo architect in the latter part of the 19th century, designed the stunning Art Deco label. The Marsala Fine offers an expressive dry style with delicious dried citrus notes and toasted almonds. The Marsala Superiore uses base wines made from the native Sicilian grapes Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto fortified with white grape spirit and aged for five years in cask.  Curatolo Arini Curatolo are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year and have a number of events to celebrate this. We were hosted by Alexandra Curatolo who is fifth generation of the family and returned to the business back in 2012. I mentioned about the similarities of Campbell's which is also 5th generation and 157 years family owned which she was very pleased to hear about. Alexandra gave us a guided tour of the winery explaining more to us about Marsala which was fascinating for all of us as none of us knew that much about it. Similar to sherry or madeira, marsala is a fortified wine which can be dry or sweet and is so much more than just a cooking wine. Recognized as one of the first wines in Italy to receive Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status, and the first in Sicily, Marsala holds a prestigious place in Italian wine heritage. The first differentiation is between Marsala wines obtained from white grape varieties, chiefly Grillo, Catarratto and Inzolia, called Marsala Oro and Ambra (gold and amber, reflecting its colour), and Marsala wines made with red grape varieties, mainly Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese and Pignatello, called Marsala Rubino (ruby). Marsala wines are then differentiated based on the ageing, and the different labels are: • Marsala Fine: aged for one year of which 8 months in barrels. Minimum alchool content 17° and available as Oro, Ambra and Rubino. • Marsala Superiore: aged for 2 years in barrels and with a minimum alcohol content of 18° • Marsala Superiore Riserva: aged for 4 years in barrels and with a minimum alcohol content of 18° • Marsala Vergine, “Soleras”: aged for 5 years in barrels and with a minimum alcohol content of 18° • Marsala Vergine, “Soleras” stravecchio o Riserva: this is the best and rarest Marsala, and it is aged for 10 years. Lastly Marsala are classified are classified by sweetness based on residual sugar content, and divided into dry, semi dry and sweet. |
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