WINERY

Le Casematte

Faro, Province of Messina

Faro is one of Italy’s smallest DOC’s with a total of just thirty hectares under vine, located on the north eastern tip of Sicily in the Messinesi hills wedged between two seas – the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian that meet at the Messina Strait.

  • Established

    2008
  • Owned by

    Gianfranco Sabbatino & Andrea Barzagli
  • Winemaker(s)

    Carlo Ferrini
  • Viticulture

    Organic

Like neighbouring Mount Etna, Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio are the two main varieties here, along with the local Nocera. Faro traces its winemaking back to the Fourteenth Century B.C. but was left devastated by phylloxera, only making a comeback in the 1980’s.

Le Casematte was named after the two casements in the vineyards that served as observatories and defensive structures during World War II. The terraced vineyards (some with a gradient of 70 degrees) are planted between 250 and 370 metres above sea level on clayey-sandy-calcareous soil. The vines here benefit from the constant sea breezes of the Messina Strait, especially the howling Sirocco wind during summer, and there are significant day/night temperature variations. This adds up to fruit rich wines with wonderful aromatic qualities that show beautiful freshness and balance with a strong sense of place.

LE CASEMATTE FACTSHEET

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