Storia
Arrival in Camporeale — 2005
In 2005, Marco Sferlazzo’s interest in wine, food and cultivation brought him to the hills of Camporeale. At approximately 600 metres above sea level, he found old, north-facing Catarratto bush vines rooted in sandy ground with sandstone rock. Wind, abundant light and pronounced temperature changes shaped the high-elevation setting in which Porta del Vento developed.
The agricultural identity that followed joined native grape varieties with organic and biodynamic cultivation. Manual harvesting, indigenous yeasts, concrete tanks and large oak casks became recurring elements of the estate’s work, alongside research into skin contact, bottle refermentation and amphora maturation.
The first cru — 2015
Trebbì became Porta del Vento’s first declared cru. Its 5,000 m² east-facing vineyard lies at the entrance to the estate and contains 1,600 bush-trained Trebbiano vines described as 45 years old. The 2015 production amounted to 800 bottles.
Broadening the cellar’s forms of expression
The collection subsequently came to encompass classic-method sparkling wines, undisgorged bottle-refermented wines with their lees, still whites, skin-macerated whites, rosé, varietal reds and amphora wines. The cellar also developed selected grappas from estate pomace after years of experimentation and accumulated experience.
Terroir
Porta del Vento lies in the hills of Camporeale, in the province of Palermo. The described vineyards range from approximately 450 to 600 metres above sea level, with one current vineyard record reaching 660 metres. The estate’s old Catarratto bush vines occupy north-facing slopes at around 600 metres, while technical descriptions generally record a north–south vineyard or row orientation. The Trebbì cru is an exception with a specifically stated eastern exposure.
Wind, strong light and pronounced day-to-night temperature changes define the high-hill microclimate. Most vineyard descriptions identify sandy soils with sandstone rock. Other blocks have medium-textured soils with a clay tendency, and clay is also associated with part of the amphora-wine material. This combination creates distinct sandy-sandstone and clay-influenced environments within the Camporeale holdings.
Vinificazione
Porta del Vento works with organic and biodynamic cultivation, treating biodiversity, the vitality of the soil and the relationship between soil and vine as central parts of the farm’s identity. Its language of cultivation emphasises a healthy environment in which native organisms and grapes can flourish together.
Both alberello/gobelet and Guyot systems are employed. Recorded planting densities are 3,000–4,000 vines per hectare, while yields vary by vineyard and purpose from 40 to 80 quintals per hectare. Harvesting is performed by hand; small cases are specifically used for several selections. Picking dates are adapted to the material, beginning at the end of August for sparkling bases and continuing through September into early October.
The cultivation material is dominated by native varieties. Old Catarratto bush vines form the historic core, while Perricone—treated as a rare, old Sicilian variety—is preserved alongside Grillo, Trebbiano, Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese and unidentified native varieties.
The cellar works with indigenous yeasts and a broad group of traditional vessels: concrete tanks, stainless-steel tanks, large oak casks and amphorae. Grapes may be cooled to 8°C before destemming. Depending on the intended style, preparation can include soft pressing in a hydraulic press, static settling, short skin contact or cold pre-fermentation maceration. Fermentation is commonly temperature-controlled, although one traditional skin-contact process uses open concrete tanks at an ambient temperature of about 24°C with frequent manual punch-downs.
Skin contact ranges from short macerations to 8–12 days for reds and as long as 30 days for macerated Catarratto. Malolactic fermentation takes place in concrete for several red vinifications and in amphora for one native-red selection. Concrete is used both for fermentation and maturation, including periods on fine lees. Stainless steel supports both fermentation and maturation for selected wines.
Oak maturation uses large vessels rather than a new-barrique programme. Recorded examples include untoasted 25 hl oak casks for 12 months and large Slavonian oak casks for as long as two years. Amphora vinification can include skin fermentation, malolactic conversion and at least six months of maturation in the same vessel, followed by bottle ageing.
Bottle refermentation takes two forms. Classic-method wines are made from white-pressed bases, refermented in bottle and kept on indigenous lees for 15 or 20 months before disgorgement. The Voria range is refermented by adding must to the base wine, then released unfiltered and undisgorged with yeast sediment remaining in the bottle. Across the collection, bottle maturation after vessel ageing commonly lasts three to six months.
Filosofia
“Cultivating Wine”
Porta del Vento describes its work as artisanal and guided by harmony, balance and natural rhythms. The vineyard is understood as a living microcosm in which biodiversity, soil vitality, native organisms and vines exist in symbiosis. Identity, awareness, equilibrium and creativity are recurring principles.
The approach joins tradition with research. Biodynamic cultivation, hand harvesting, indigenous yeasts, concrete tanks and large oak casks provide the working foundation, while skin contact, bottle refermentation and amphorae broaden the forms through which the Camporeale territory can be expressed. Vintage variation is embraced through the idea that every year creates a new story rather than a standardised repetition.
The intended wines are deep, complex, individual and original expressions of their place. Manual involvement extends from selecting bunches through cellar work and bottling, while experimentation remains tied to native grapes and the agricultural setting.