Florio

The Duca di Salaparuta Group owns three historic wine brands that represent Sicily and Italy worldwide: Corvo and Duca di Salaparuta, founded in 1824, and Florio, founded in 1833. Bought by the Reina family and united in a single entity, the two historic companies today constitute the largest private winemaking group in Sicily. They describe the Island’s history and land through their suggestive estates and the historic wine cellars, but above all through their wines. Three important brands, each one representing a specific area and its distinctive features, and a complete range of wines suitable for any dining occasion and ideal with all kinds of dishes, from more classic and everyday ones with Corvo to more modern ones with Duca di Salaparuta wines and, finally, more original ones with Florio wines. The company’s strong ties with the land and its pioneering spirit have inspired it to choose areas that are naturally suited to growing specific grape varieties, but also to make unusual choices. This is the case of the Suor Marchesa Estate, where the company has chosen to grow Vermentino, and of the Vajasindi Estate on the slopes of Mount Etna, where Duca di Salaparuta has been growing Pinot Noir grapes for many years. On this volcanic soil, the Duca di Salaparuta Group was the first to launch this groundbreaking experiment, which has yielded wines with a unique character and, in 2019, it also decided to invest again here by purchasing 10 hectares of land, in addition to those it already owns, which amount to a total of approximately 20 hectares. Moreover, with the aim of offering an increasingly wide, quality offer to its customers in the Horeca sector, the Duca di Salaparuta Group has established partnerships with leading Italian and international companies. The prestigious Maison di Champagne Lanson, two historical Italian winemaking brands, Caparzo and Barone di Valforte which, together with Sogrape Vinhos, are now part of the network created by Duca di Salaparuta to meet the latest demands of the Italian market, which is always on the lookout for excellent services. The brands:

CORVO | is a strong, historical brand, which is always capable of communicating in new and contemporary ways. A Sicilian classic that has been renewed for almost 200 years, capable of conveying the best features of each native grape variety thanks to a thorough knowledge of the geographical and microclimatic characteristics of the island and production techniques focused on quality.

DUCA DI SALAPARUTA | manages to interpret the most interesting aspects of Sicily with a unique and seductive style. Each wine represents the most suitable wine production areas, reflecting a long-standing winemaking tradition and the company’s personality in an instantly recognisable and original way.

FLORIO | is an innovator by tradition that reveals an unexpected world. Wines of the finest quality to be savoured on a number of occasions, such as marsala wines, fortified wines, Passito wines and sparkling wines to be discovered or rediscovered as an original aperitif, to be served with a dessert or sipped while meditating. Over the last two centuries, the company has gained a unique experience by respecting tradition, paying attention to detail and taking innovative approaches.

History
The Duca di Salaparuta Group owns three historic wine brands that represent Sicily and Italy worldwide: Corvo and Duca di Salaparuta, founded in 1824, and Florio, founded in 1833. Bought by the Reina Family, and united in a single entity, the two historic companies today constitute the largest private winemaking group in Sicily, and they narrate their history and their territories through fascinating visits to their Estates and Wine Cellars.
Corvo Bianco was the first bottled wine in Sicily, in 1824.
The Florio Wine Cellars in Marsala were built in 1833 by Vincenzo Florio.
Duca di Salaparuta wines began to be exported from the mid-eighteen hundreds onwards.
Duca Enrico’ was the first wine to be made from 100% Nero d’Avola grapes, in 1984.
The Duca di Salaparuta S.p.A. Group was launched in 2001.
In 2003, Duca di Salaparuta began the search that would lead to it buying three Estates in the best winegrowing areas in Sicily.

Territory
The key element on which Duca di Salaparuta’s production is based is without a doubt the absolute prestige of the Terroirs in which all wines by Corvo, Duca di Salaparuta and Florio originate. Duca di Salaparuta’s almost two centuries of winemaking experience, and its profound knowledge of its territories, make it possible for it to choose the most suitable grape varieties to plant in each soil and climate, to allow them to grow as naturally as possible. The scrupulous selection of the most suitable and healthy Terroirs, the utmost care and expertise applied in vineyards, with reduced and carefully controlled interventions, and strict controls carried out in every phase, plus constant investment in Research & Development, and application of technology by highly experienced technicians, all this is part of Duca di Salaparuta’s DNA in terms of respect for nature, for local territories and for its raw materials.
Duca di Salaparuta uses renewable sources of energy. The use of technology is based on modern oenological concepts: this entails reducing human interventions on the vine and in the wine cellar to a minimum, thanks to constant grape and soil monitoring.
Duca di Salaparuta works carefully every day in the vineyards, respecting natural times and rhythms. The choice of hillside and coastal Estates, which are better ventilated and healthier, is the key for obtaining naturally vigorous vines. Every year, Duca di Salaparuta invests in Research & Development, in order to equip itself with latest-generation devices for checking grapes and corks. Duke Enrico Alliata was a vegetarian with a ‘green philosophy’ at the close of the 19th century.

Wine Cellar
An innovative approach and a perspective focused on the future are legacies of the Alliata family, noble and open-minded spirits who made new wines using techniques learned in France and based on novel criteria such as elegance and refinement. Likewise the Florio family, pioneers who also shaped Sicilian and Italian history, and not only in terms of winemaking. Today, this inheritance is continued by the Reina Family which – thanks also to these deep roots – possesses the confidence and thrust necessary to continue experimenting and studying in its quest to create wines with original personalities and of the highest quality. This takes patient and constant effort: in the Wine Cellar, daily practice involves daring experiments but also extreme care devoted to maintaining the qualitative virtues of wines by Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo and Florio, as loved and drunk by millions of people every day worldwide.
In the Vajasindi Estate, on the slopes of Mount Etna, Pinot Nero grapes are grown Vermentino is grown on the Suor Marchesa Estate. Our expert knowledge of the Grillo grape has made it possible for us to successfully vinify a Spumante version.

Wine Tourism
The Florio Wine Cellars in Marsala are among Italy’s most visited Wine Tourism destinations, appreciated by both Italian and International tourists and wine lovers. On the one hand the historic Wine Cellars of Marsala, and on the other the Cellars of Duca di Salaparuta and Corvo in Casteldaccia (Palermo Province), now reopened to the public, enhanced by modern facilities and spaces. Two different sets of Cellars, expressions of the eclectic spirit of Duca di Salaparuta, both born from the same desire to communicate the company’s special style and to offer guests a rich experience, both surprising and irresistible. Every year, over fifty-thousand people visit the Florio winery in Marsala It boasts three innovative and technological Wine Tasting Rooms. Every year these Wine Cellars offer a wide programme of cultural events. Florio wines mature in roughly 1.400 ‘caratelli’ elongated sweet wine barrels and 600 larger barrels and vats, stored in the ancient evocative vaulted naves of the Florio Cellars, where visitors admire them every day. The Duca di Salaparuta and Corvo wine cellars welcome guests to a world steeped in history but enhanced by futuristic technologies. Modern design, history and tradition combine in an unforgettable experience.

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