Donnafugata Sur Sur Grillo

The Rallo family has made wine in Marsala since 1851 and their ancient cellars tunnel beneath the city. They were one of the first families to begin making high-quality table wine when sales of traditional Marsala started to decline, launching the Donnafugata label in 1983 and championing the potential of the region’s native varieties.

Today, Donnafugata has four estates in Sicily: a modern winery and 322 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. Donnafugata means ‘fleeing woman’ and refers to Queen Maria Carolina, who escaped the court of Naples in the early 19th century with her husband, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, when Napoleon’s troops arrived. The couple took refuge in Sicily at the Santa Margherita Belice palace, the favourite residence of celebrated writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which is depicted on the ‘Mille e Una Notte’ label.

Grillo,

'Sur Sur' is made from Grillo grapes planted on the Contessa Entellina estate and its neighbouring areas. Vines are planted at 200-600 metres above sea level, with approximately 4,500-6,000 vines per hectare, and are trained using vertical shoot positioning. Pruning of the vines is cordon spur, leaving 6-10 buds per vine. The soils are mainly clay loam with a limestone content of 20-35%.

Grapes were gently pressed on arrival at the winery and the must was fermented in stainless-steel tanks at a temperature of 14-16°C. After fermentation the wine aged for two months in tank and then at least three months in bottle before release.

The wine is brilliant straw yellow in colour. On the nose, 'Sur Sur' offers notes of white stone fruit, especially peach, and cantaloupe melon, combined with of wild flowers and mint. The palate is fruity, soft and fragrant, offering a pleasant freshness and smoothness.

Pair with veggie pastas or a chilled pasta salad for a boujee lunch.