With three estates located across the island, Duca di Salaparuta brings Sicily’s vinous history to life in the glass. Founded in 1824 and deeply devoted to this vibrant winemaking island, the Duca di Salaparuta team leans on nearly 200 years of experience to sculpt bottlings that simultaneously honor tradition while appealing to the tastes of modern consumers—a commitment that’s palpable in their flagship Nero d’Avola wines.
The group celebrates and spotlights Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s prized variety, through three distinctive expressions of the grape, which showcase its power, depth, and complexity. Produced at the Suor Marchesa Estate near Riesi, inland from Sicily’s southern coast, the estate boasts ideal southern exposures and altitudes that facilitate ventilation, reducing disease pressure and promoting even ripening under the warm Mediterranean sun. The Suor Marchesa soils are dominated by limestone, which supports cultivating long-lived and well-balanced Nero d’Avola wines, especially the site’s flagship Duca Enrico.
First introduced in 1984, Duca Enrico is Duca di Salaparuta’s signature Nero d’Avola, an elegant and cellar-worthy expression of the variety. Aged in French oak barriques for 18 months before bottling, this 100 percent Nero d’Avola shows the nuance and complexity that the variety can achieve in Sicily with spicy, smoky aromatics and gorgeous red fruit flavors.
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From select plots across Suor Marchesa’s 127 hectares of vines, Duca di Salaparuta also produces the Calanìca and Passo delle Mule Nero d’Avolas. Each wine shows another distinct side of the multifaceted variety, with Calanìca Nero d’Avola embodying a lighter, fresher style of the grape variety in the form of velvety red fruit and soft tannins. Meanwhile, the Passo delle Mule combines the variety’s power with a beam of fresh acidity that makes it ideal alongside mature cheeses and light meats.
While the Nero d’Avola bottlings pay homage to the island’s viticultural history, Duca di Salaparuta is simultaneously committed to innovation and experimentation—especially across the island’s terroirs.
Long beloved for its well-draining soils and unique microclimates, Mount Etna provides a fascinating backdrop for Duca di Salaparuta’s Lavico brand, which is cultivated on the Vajasindi Estate. Located in the heart of the Passopisciaro municipality, the Vajasindi Estate consists of terraces at 620 and 700 meters above sea level—offering prime conditions for expressive Nerello Mascalese and Carricante. Grown using sustainable farming practices and vinified with precision, the Lavico Etna Bianco and Lavico Etna Rosso are the first Etna DOC labels from Duca di Salaparuta. Made from the region’s native varieties—Nerello Mascalese for the Lavico Etna Rosso 2020 and Carricante for the Lavico Etna Bianco 2021—the wines channel the essence of Mount Etna in the glass.
Owned and operated by the Reina family, Duca di Salaparuta is Sicily’s largest privately owned wine group, a factor that allows the team to combine their resources to craft the best wines possible in each vintage. With three brands grounded in Sicily’s most legendary terroirs—Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo, and Cantine Florio—the Duca di Salaparuta team masterfully channels Sicily’s terroir and native grape varieties into the bottle, honoring the region’s heritage with its captivating, modern wines.
Recently, Duca di Salaparuta joined forces with U.S. importer Volio, making their wines more accessible across the United States and captivating wine connoisseurs in the process.
