Tenuta Gorghi Tondi has been growing vineyards in Lago Preola and Gorghi Tondi WWF reserve, near Mazara del Vallo, on the South-West coast of Sicily, for four generations. Unspoiled territory and wines of natural elegance.
History
After a 40 year career in the wine business, Michele and his wife Doretta decided to start a family-owned company with his two daughters in 2000. The two sisters, Annamaria and Clara, returned to the family vineyard to face the new challenge of building a future making premium Sicilian wines.
The sisters share a love for the defence of unique viticultural and environmental heritage, which the family has safeguarded for over a century, in perfect balance with the surrounding environment. Hence the use of clean energy, banning any harmful practice, to protect biodiversity.
It is this strong bond with their territory, especially the High, Medium and Low “whirlpools” (the so-called “Gorghi”), at the heart of an oasis as much as wild as harmonious, which has also inspired the name of the winery.
A natural oasis protected by the WWF since 1998, Lake Preola and Gorghi Tondi contains a treasure of volatile and aquatic species and rare flora. Here, in very peculiar and often unrepeatable environmental conditions, an extraordinary wine unique to Sicily is made, Grillodoro. A heritage of the family winery since its very beginning, it is a dessert wine obtained from a late harvest of overripe Grillo grapes, attacked by Botrytis Cinerea, the so-called Noble rot, which spontaneously forms in the vineyard overlooking the sea.
Cellar
Halfway between the sea and the integral nature reserve, the winery is located in a traditional “baglio” (a typical Sicilian farmstead). The winery is in complete harmony with its surroundings, a few steps away from the nests of the hawks, the turtles, the wild orchids and the colours of the Mediterranean maquis. An unspoiled area where you can admire an extreme, beautiful and evocative Sicily, without forgetting its fruits.
The beating heart and core of the estate, the cellar, is equipped with the most modern systems for winemaking processes. It is also where winemakers and the dedicated team for innovation commit themselves day after day, applying the best and latest technologies to protect the peculiarities of their grapes.
The cellar is the most fascinating place in the winery, its best kept secret. Here, it is possible to smell the aromas of grapes turning into wines and watch the warm wooden colours that contribute to the dreamy sensation of this room, where each single barrel is the treasure chest of a premium wine. An atmosphere suspended in time that invites “monastic silence”, allowing appreciation for the work and dedication that otherwise goes unnoticed. The temperature-controlled cellar is also home to 800 hectolitres of French oak barrels.
Terroir
The vineyards of Tenuta Gorghi Tondi are located at an average height of 25 meters above sea level in Mazara del Vallo, extend for 130 hectares and overlook the horizon, cradled by the sea breeze.
The vineyards, located on mostly flat land of medium-textured soil that tends to be limestone, are characterised by an excellent depth and permeability. They grow close to the four small lakes of the Lakes Preola and Gorghi Tondi Nature Reserve, inside a karst depression formed due to the rains that eroded the surrounding area over time.
A unique and evocative environment that gives the grapes a peculiar characteristic that only this terroir can offer, and a scenario naturally suited to sustainable viticulture.
The vineyards are organically certified, so no synthetic chemicals are used and emergency irrigation is practiced only if necessary. Organic practices are preferred to maintain the authentic aromas and flavours of this wonderful corner of Sicily. The green attitude is an essential part of the work within a Nature reserve, an attitude that translates into the protection of flora and fauna, a low impact on the environment, eco-sustainability, maximum control and care for all operations in the vineyard and in the cellar. Gorghi Tondi estate uses clean energy to allow a sustainable development, adequate to meet energy needs and protect the ecosystem.
