Feudo Montoni Winery

The History

Feudo Montoni is one of the oldest recorded wineries in Sicily. It lies in the mountains around Cammarata, and was mentioned as long ago as 1595 in the pages of "De Naturali Vinorum Historia”, deemed to be THE history book of Italian wine-making. For centuries the winery belonged to the Abatellis, an aristocratic family from Aragon. At the end of the 18th century, the winery was purchased by Rosario Sireci, the grandfather of the current owner, Fabio Sireci. Since that time, the winery has been inextricably linked with the Sireci family name.

The Winemakers

The Sireci family uniquely reflect the spirit of Feudo Montoni. Short-term success is not the objective here. The aim instead is to marry the experience of the past with modern day knowledge and possibilities. And to pass this on from one generation to the next. Started by Rosario Sireci, who saw the potential of the winery acquiring in at the end of the 18th century, continued by Elio Sireci who selected the best Feudo Montoni varieties and planted new grapes during the 1960s, through to Fabio Sireci, who is responsible for the winery's destiny today. The maxim of the Sireci family is indicative of their love for wine. "Working with and for wine, performed with devotion and love, becomes a wonderful journey to be truly experienced."

The Wines

The area around the winery has some quite special features. The winery itself is located at a height of 500 metres, while the vineyards extend up to 700 metres above sea level! This part of Sicily is characteristic for its sandy soil, hot summer days, cool summer evenings and icy winters. These conditions mean the grape has to be extremely robust. The wines are produced biological throughout, harvested by hand and processed in the "cantina” just like in by-gone days. This includes the slow fermentation process performed in large clay basins without any additional yeast, storing the product in wooden vessels of various types and ages, before the bottling process completes the on-site production stage. 

The Special Experience

Davide recalls a very special story connected with this winery. In the very heart of Sicily, at the point where three boundaries of the three regions of Palermo, Caltanisetta and Agrigento meet, right in the centre of the Monti Sicani mountain chain, at a height of almost 600 metres above sea level, there lies the Feudo Montoni winery. Here, where the fields are green in the spring, and where the sun turns the landscape golden in the summer, where in high summer it can rise to 45 degrees during the day before falling to 20 degrees at night. It's right here that you’ll find the village where Davide´s parents were born, which they left as young people in order to seek their fortune afar. The very same village that Davide associates with the unforgettable memories of his childhood. And now too it is the village and especially the people that live there, that repeatedly call Davide back to this beautiful island. Davide and Jan have found a good friend in Fabio Sireci, and yet one more reason to regularly return to Sicily to delve into the Sicilian spirit.