This advertising content was produced in collaboration with our partner, Planeta.
If the notion holds true that exceptional wines are made in beautiful places, then the outstanding quality of Planeta’s wines is no surprise; the grapes are grown in some of Sicily’s most breathtaking vineyards. For five centuries, the Planeta family has been committed to cultivating Sicily’s unique terroir, while safeguarding the beauty and environmental integrity of the region, which holds the largest organic vineyard area in Italy.
Planeta has become an integral part of Sicily’s winemaking community, committed to organic farming and sustainability with an approach that is always oriented towards openness and innovation. Since the 1600s, the Planeta family has cultivated vines and olives at their Ulmo estate in western Sicily’s Sambuca di Sicilia, but their modern winemaking venture began in the 1980s, when 17th-generation Planeta family members Alessio, Francesca, and Santi first planted vines on the historic property under the guidance of founder Diego Planeta. In 1995, Planeta’s first commercial winery was born.
Since then, the Planeta family has been at the forefront of unearthing some of Sicily’s most exceptional wines from across the island, seeking out the best vineyard areas to create independent wineries. Years were spent carefully matching the extraordinarily diverse Sicilian soils with both indigenous and international varieties, which paid off when Planeta wines were met with immediate praise upon introduction in the U.S. in the late 1990s.
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“Planeta is a journey through Sicily,” explains winemaker Alessio Planeta. “Five different territories—Menfi, Vittoria, Noto, Etna, and Capo Milazzo—are our cardinal directions to travel in Sicily, an island that is a genuine cultural, climatic, and enological continent.” Today, the company has 377 hectares and seven wineries across the five regions, each one reflecting the details, vibrations, and rhythms of their unique location. Since 1998, Planeta has also produced award-winning IGP extra virgin olive oil from a 148-hectare olive grove owned by the family.
By following the SOStain protocol of sustainability—the first regional Italian environmental viticultural certification project—Planeta has been able to forge a path of continuous improvement towards increasing levels of sustainability. Planeta has not only made this approach a fundamental part of their winemaking process, but they have become leaders in making sustainability a standard for all of Sicily.
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Planeta’s holistic investment in the success of Sicilian wine also extends to tourism. Planeta Estate runs La Foresteria Menfi, a wine country resort near the beach in Menfi with a restaurant, pool, and experiences like wine tastings, biking, trekking, and massages. Three of their estates have also become centers of hospitality that offer everything from tastings and events to wine experiences and sales.
Planeta’s wines have the power to transport you around the island of Sicily. And while each wine holds true to the traditions of the island, it’s the family’s courage and innovation to tap into the island’s full diversity of terroir that has made the wines truly come alive.
