Immersed in the beautiful Piraino, know "Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea", you can find one of the oldest Sicilian wineries on the Saracen coast. Cantine Amato, with more than 60 years of experience in Sicilian enology, that carries on this passion following the true Sicilian tradition. Sun, air, earth and deep knowledge are the ingredients at the base of each of their wines, together with a great respect for the environment. The Sicilian wine of these precious cellars has a unique taste, able to make you perceive Sicily in all its notes and expressions.

The history of a family tradition

The origins of this Sicilian wineries cellar are rooted in the 1930s when Vincenzo Giardina Papa returned to his native Sicily, after emigrating to America at a young age, . Vincenzo, taking advantage of the experience gained abroad, decided to invest his earnings in the construction of a small tavern. In 1958, his son-in-law Rosario Amato took over the reins of the business and transformed it into a small winery. Rosario renovated and expanded the company, equipping it with numerous wooden barrels and underground concrete tanks.

The winery continues to grow thanks to his son Salvatore Amato, who receives the management of the company in the early 80's and transforming it in 2004 into the current site. Inheriting the innovative spirit of his father, Salvatore equips the winery with the most innovative winemaking, maturation and bottling equipment. Today, the winery continues to be under his management and those of his wife Fiorella and his son Rosario, who graduated in Viticulture and Enology in 2015.

Sicilian wineries and organic farming: a look at a sustainable winery

The Amato family's commitment to environmental sustainability is very strong and manifests itself go throught the entire production process. "In the vineyard we recycle everything that nature offers us such as vegetable and animal waste" the managers tell us. "All this allows us to preserve the fertility of the soil and at the same time avoid the use of chemical fertilizers". These Sicilian wineries, in fact, have been practicing organic farming since 2011 and their attention to environmental impact does not stop here.

A 100% sustainable structure

The cellar's structure is also eco-sustainable: built in insulating material, it allows to keep the environment always cool with considerable electrical savings on cooling energy. Recently, they have also introduced a new power factor correction system in the cellar, whose task is to eliminate waste of electricity. By also reducing the weight of the bottles, they have also managed to reduce emissions from the glass production process. There is also something else: by harvesting before dawn, they have reduced the consumption for the refrigeration of must and grapes by more than 40%. Finally, they built a new photovoltaic system for the production of green energy. In short, every element of these Sicilian wineries is 100% sustainable.

The work in the cellar: from the vineyard to bottling

The Amato family, guided by their passion for wine and their land, has always wanted to enhance the beauty of Sicily. "Currently in the cellar come grapes from different areas of Sicily" the managers tell us. "The grapes come to us from Monreale (PA), Grotte (AG), Milazzo (ME) and Marsala (TP) and we selected native grape varieties such as Grillo, Catarratto, Insolia, Nero d'Avola, Moscato bianco, Zibibbo, Malvasia, but also international, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, which are best suited to the climatic characteristics of our territory.

The grape harvest

In Sicily, summer temperatures can easily exceed 30 °C with risks of oxidation, fermentation starts and loss of aromas of grapes during the transport to the winery. For this reason, harvesting takes place during the night and using "carbonic snow", an inert gas that cools and protects against oxidation. In this way, the grapes arrive in the cellar at 18 - 20 °C, temperature suitable to avoid inconveniences. Then, with the help of cooling systems, the grapes are further cooled to 8-10 °C.

The winemaking process

Once in the cellar, the different grapes harvested undergo the vinification process. All operations are carried out in full respect of the quality of the grapes, the territory of origin and the environment. Through a rigorous use of cold inert gases (nitrogen, carbon dioxide) and a wise use of filtration techniques. these Sicilian wineries are able to work the grapes in the maximum respect of their composition, enhancing the varietal and territorial expression. Thanks to these technologies, Cantine Amato are able to minimize the use of oenological aids, in particular sulphites, kept in very low thresholds.

The Assembly

Assembly is one of the crucial steps in the entire production process of all wineries. After several trials, wines from different tanks, different territories and sometimes from different vintages are blended. The main objective of the blending work is to enhance the characteristics of each variety and each territory, thus obtaining wines with the right balance.

Wines and Pairings

Cantine Amato offers a wide selection of wines, suitable for different types of courses. Among the Sicilian wines for appetizers are Insolia 2019 BIO, Donros Bianco and Disìo - organic dry muscatel. If you want Sicilian wines for first dishes, we recommend the Grillo 2019 BIO and the Syrah (very suitable for risottos). Among the Sicilian wines for main dishes, we recommend a Catarratto 2019 BIO, very suitable for fish dishes, seafood cruditè and various fried dishes, and Nero d'Avola, to be combined with meat dishes, game, mature cheeses, but also with sweet and sour fish. Finally, Cantine Amato offer you two classics of the Sicilian tradition: the Zibibbo Wine, excellent to accompany desserts and dried fruit, and the Almond Wine, which goes well with ice cream, dry desserts and fruit.

Order your wine at home!

If you are on vacation in Sicily near the beautiful Piraino, we suggest you go directly to Cantine Amato, located in Via S.Ignazio, 44, to experience the true Sicilian wine tradition. If, instead, you don't have this possibility, don't despair: you can receive your favorite wine directly to your home by ordering it directly from our online shop!

What are you waiting for? Taste Sicily directly at your home!

 

Cosa aspetti? Assapora subito la Sicilia direttamente a casa tua!