Feudi Barone Spitaleri

Descended from crusading ‘Hospitaller’ knights (Knights of St.John, of Malta) who settled on Sicily during the 13th century, the famiglia Spitaleri of Muglia (EN) can claim to be the first wine merchants of the medieval age, once Islamic prohibition had ceased. They then flourished during the italian Rinascimento.

But in 1852 it was Barone Felice Spitaleri who took the initiative on returning from a ‘Grand Tour’ of France, & deciding in 1855 to plant 300ha on Monte Etna – the feud – to Bordeaux varieties (& Pinot Nero!); ironically the year of Bordeaux’s Classed Growth Classification. Spitaleri commissioned Padre Francesco Tornabene to plant the vineyards, while the design of the imposing Castello di Solicchiata was entrusted to Andrea Scala, architect of Catania’s Bellini teatro.

The vineyards lie on an ancient 1107 lava flow – mineral rich, nutrient poor – facing SW at between 800m – 1400m asl.

The subsequent wines received a Grand Honour diploma at the 1888 London Exhibition, followed by Gold Medals in Palermo (1889), Vienna (1890), Berlin (1892), Brussels (1893), & Milano (1894). The Savoia Royal House of Italia appointed the cantina an official supplier, hence their coat of arms on the label of Castello Solicchiata.

Skip forward to 1997 when the then latest generation of Spitaleri, Barone Arnaldo, along with his enologist fratello Felice, employed the service of legendary consultant Giacomo Tachis to relaunch their wines to the market.