Cantine Settesoli is the leading Sicilian wine company for turnover and volume of production. The winery, located in Menfi, in the province of Agrigento, has a turnover of 36 millions euros and a production of 15 millions of bottles. Settesoli is a very well known brand and a cooperative company with 2,300 partners which proved grapes; the president is Diego Planeta and the general manager is Salvatore Li Petri. Cantine Settesoli, established in 1965 with the goal of coordinating, qualifying and promoting the enotechnological heritage of Menfi's territory. Today, this company is one of the Sicilian wineries which has been capable of joining tradition and innovation in a better way: the company experiments with international grape varieties, releasing new wines with a proper branding created some years ago and which connotes the wines of the top line: Mandrarossa. The brand is named after an area on the sea of Menfi, with a particular wine vocation. Mandrarossa is a brand, destined to attentive consumers, refined and who pay attention on the balance involving wine, culture and tradition of the production of the territory, as well as to quality wine shops and restaurants.

	A view of Cantine Settesoli's vineyards

 Menfi is a hilly village, in the province of Agrigento, east from Selinunte, the ancient Greek city where the ruins are still visible, while to the south of Agrigento is located the Temples valley, a unique scenery and witness of Greek culture and architecture. These lands witness the passage among many dominations, from Sicans to Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans. These territories represented an ambitious approach, where sun and mild weather helped the development of viticulture in very fertile areas, where the typical Sicilian grape varieties, and today international ones as well, produce quality wines since many years. The first Cantine Settesoli's intervention on the territory was the severe selection of the most suited grape varieties, located on the aerated and well exposed hills of Mandrarossa, which gives the name to the top wines.

 Cantine Settesoli's estates are located in a very fascinating area with a mild climate, between Agrigento's Temples Valley and Selinunte's Temples. Here, are being cultivated local grape varieties, such as Nero d'Avola and Grecanico, as well as international ones, such as Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, including Fiano. Mandrarossa wines born from the harmonic integration between culture and territory, traditional methods of cultivation and enotechnological innovation. Very ancient methods are used together with modern and updated technologies. The vineyards are supervised by agronomists, who control each phase of the cultivation and determine the right harvesting time for grapes. Settesoli has obtained the quality certification for the entire production process and traceability, from grapes to bottle. The vineyards cover an area of 6,500 hectares (about 16,000 acres). The winery is involved in increasing its vineyards with new technologies, as well as paying attention on research and experimentation. The main goal is in fact to increase the ampelographic resources of the company in order to increase quality.

 Cantine Settesoli's wines have the typical character of Mediterranean wines: intense and delicate aromas, crisp and harmonic taste. The wines are obtained through the selection of the best grapes, exquisitely aromatic and with a right quantity of sugar, ripened by the intense sun light of Sicily and by a very favorable climate. The grapes are then brought to the cellar for the delicate phase of vinification. This is done by cellar masters who make use of ancient traditions, by following all the processes of transformation. After crushing and fermentation, every batch is classified according to the use in specific cuvées. Settesoli produces many styles of wines, offered at different prices and packaging, however in the last years, the winery is promoting, through communication investments, Mandrarossa brand, for which a proper web site was published, different from the official company site. Mandrarossa wines is considered the top line of the winery and consists of three lines: the line of autochthonous grape varieties, the line of international grape varieties and the “selection” line.

 Nero d'Avola, Grecanico and Fiano are part of the line of autochthonous grape varieties. Fiano, is not generally recognized as a typical Sicilian grape variety, however the winery uses it to make an Indicazione Geografica Tipica wine (IGT, Typical Geographic Indication). Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier are part of the international grape varieties range. Finally, the “selection” line includes Bendicò, produced with Nero d'Avola, Merlot and Syrah grapes, the wine is named after Gattopardo's dog, protagonist of Tomasi di Lampedusa's book. Furetta, produced with Chardonnay and Fiano grapes; Bonera, made with Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes; Feudo dei Fiori, produced with Grecanico and Chardonnay grapes; Vendemmia Tardiva, a white wine produced with 100% late harvested Grecanico grapes. The last released product being part of Mandrarossa brand is Cartagho, a wine produced with Nero d'Avola grapes. Mandrarossa brand also includes a grappa made with Nero d'Avola pomace, produced since 2003, and an extra-virgin olive oil, produced with the most famous Sicilian olive varieties: Nocellara del Belice, Cerasuola and Biancolilla. Since many years, Settesoli signed an agreement with the importer Enotria Winecellars of London, through which the Sicilian brand is exported in the following countries: Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Bulgaria and Russia.

 Besides wine production, Cantine Settesoli - in collaboration with the Commune of Menfi - organizes Inycon event, from the ancient name of the Sican city which existed before Menfi. In the first week of July and for three days, Sicilian wineries get together and visitors can taste, on the streets, the best wines of the island while listening to music and watching dance shows.

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