Since its inception in 1985 the Planeta winery has in a relatively short space of time established itself as one of the most dynamic and quality orientated wineries in the whole of Italy. The fact that the estate is based in the south west corner of Sicily – an island which for so long has been a quality winemaking backwater – makes the achievement all the more remarkable. Run by cousins Francesca, Alessio and Santi Planeta the estate won the coveted Cantina dell’Anno (Italian winery of the year award) in 1999 and has gone from strength to strength in the intervening years.
The Estate’s international reputation was founded on the quality of its Chardonnay – which remains a benchmark for Italian white wines – but the family has long believed in the potential quality of local Sicilian grape varieties and is now makes outstanding wines from the likes of Nero D’Avola and Frappato. Improvements and investment continue apace, the new olive oil press is open and produced its inaugural 2003 vintage and the new winery in Noto was also up and running for the 2003 vintage. 2003 also saw the purchase of further land in Vittoria to augment the DOC project that is already underway and which saw its first fruits with the release of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria, and sees stage two with the arrival of the Moscato di Noto. The energy and vision of the team at Planeta continue to make it one of the most exciting wineries in our entire portfolio.
