Tenuta Regaleali

1830–1901: acquisition and agricultural development

In 1830, the brothers Lucio and Carmelo Mastrogiovanni Tasca purchased 1,200 hectares in the Regaleali contrada. They introduced modern agricultural technology into the Sicilian interior, establishing Regaleali as a diversified farm rather than an exclusively wine-growing property.

In 1840, Villa Camastra—now Villa Tasca in Palermo—entered the family through the dowry of Beatrice Lanza, Lucio’s wife. In 1854, Regaleali received recognition as a “model farm” in the agricultural annals. Grain and fodder were then its principal activities, while vineyards occupied only a small share of the cultivated land.

The family’s vineyards were devastated by phylloxera in 1890. A specialist nursery was consequently established at Villa Camastra to graft vines onto healthy American rootstocks. In 1901, the family created Camastra from Catarratto and Inzolia with the addition of varieties associated with Sauternes. It received the Pistone Prize, followed by further recognition in Italy and France.

1950–1970: a smaller estate and the foundations of modern Regaleali

Italy’s 1950 agrarian reform reduced Regaleali from its original 1,200 hectares to approximately 500 hectares. The change reshaped the property and preceded a new phase devoted increasingly to viticulture and estate-bottled wine.

A Nero d’Avola vineyard trained as alberello was planted in 1954, described as the first among Regaleali’s present vineyards. In 1959, Count Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita planted the principal San Lucio vineyard with Perricone and Nero d’Avola, also as alberello. His aim was to create a Sicilian wine capable of standing alongside leading international wines. This vineyard became the basis of Regaleali Riserva del Conte, whose first vintage was 1970 and which was released six years later. The wine subsequently became known as Rosso del Conte and established the estate’s single-vineyard tradition.

Regaleali Bianco debuted in 1960 as a blend of Inzolia, Catarratto and Grecanico. Together with a light red and a rosé, it formed the three Regaleali Classics around which the post-war winery built its reputation.

1979–1990: international varieties and new methods

In 1979, Lucio Tasca d’Almerita planted four experimental rows each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc without informing his father. The work tested internationally established cultivars under Regaleali’s high-altitude inland conditions. After several experimental harvests, the estate planted Vigna San Francesco in 1985 with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. These were presented as Sicily’s first wines from the two varieties and helped extend Regaleali’s reputation beyond Italy.

In 1984, Count Giuseppe created Nozze d’Oro to celebrate 50 years of marriage to his wife, Franca. The blend joined Inzolia with the estate’s Sauvignon selection, derived from vines present at Regaleali since the end of the First World War. The anniversary itself was celebrated on 3 June 1985.

The idea for Almerita Brut arose in 1987 as a traditional-method Chardonnay sparkling wine made for Count Giuseppe’s friends. Cabernet Sauvignon from San Francesco appeared in 1988, while Almerita Brut Contea di Sclafani followed in 1990 with 24 months on the lees.

1994–2001: diversification and generational transition

Diamante was introduced in 1994. In 2001, Alberto Tasca was entrusted with leadership of the family company, with a mandate to reinforce its longstanding emphasis on quality and continuous experimentation. The estate increasingly paired its work with international varieties with renewed study and promotion of local grapes, including Nero d’Avola, Catarratto, Perricone, Nerello Mascalese and Grillo.

2001–present: parcel research and measurable sustainability

Regaleali now cultivates 25 productive grape varieties across a highly fragmented estate of 12 soil types and six principal hills. Its wines are sourced entirely from one or more vineyards inside the property. Research is increasingly focused on the relationship between individual parcels, the resulting wines and the biodiversity surrounding the vineyards.

Tasca adopted the SOStain protocol in 2010 and began company-wide VIVA monitoring in 2016. In 2017, Tasca d’Almerita became the first winery reported as holding joint VIVA/SOStain sustainability certification. The family company became a certified B Corp in 2023. Regaleali’s 2024 agricultural profile comprised 557 hectares, including 397 hectares of vines divided among 107 productive vineyards and six experimental vineyards.

Tenuta Regaleali lies at Contrada Regaleali in Sclafani Bagni, in the hilly interior of Sicily. The estate forms a green, enclosed agricultural landscape of vineyards, wheat fields, olive groves, pastures, woods, orchards, lakes and streams.

The property is structured around six hills and 12 soil types. The principal hills lie between 450 and 850 metres, while the wider property extends from approximately 400 to 900 metres. Strong light and pronounced day-to-night temperature variation help preserve grape aromas. Differences in altitude, exposure, soil composition and local microclimate allow numerous varieties to ripen under conditions distinct from Sicily’s warmer coastal and lowland zones.

The soils vary substantially between parcels. San Lucio has yellow-brown, loamy-sandy, moderately calcareous soil with some stones and a slightly alkaline pH of 8.5. The lower Chardonnay section of San Francesco is deep, loamy-clay and slightly calcareous; its Cabernet Sauvignon sector is loamy-sandy-clay and slightly calcareous. Cava Rina is sandy. Piana Case Vecchie has deep, fine, slightly calcareous clay. Barbabietole has calcareous clay, while Tramontanata combines sandy clay and clayey sand with layers of rock salt.

This internal diversity is treated as a self-contained viticultural system: every wine is drawn from a single vineyard or a combination of vineyards located within the estate. Current research concentrates on the interaction between individual parcels, wines and the surrounding biodiversity.

Viticulture follows the independently audited SOStain protocol and the eco-sustainable disciplinary system used across the family estates. The approach combines lower-impact integrated farming, manual work, biological defence and preventive agronomy. Chemical weed control is excluded. Weeds are managed mechanically with hoes, ploughs, blades, rotary hoes and under-row harrows.

At hilly Regaleali, erosion prevention during winter is a priority. Spontaneous vegetation returns naturally after harvest, beginning in September, protecting the soil and improving its physical structure. Incorporating this cover increases stable organic matter and supports long-term soil vitality. Green manure is managed in alternating rows and, where crop nutrition requires it, is supplemented by targeted mineral fertilization.

Pre-harvest work includes tying and positioning espalier-grown shoots, topping lateral growth to direct the vine’s energy, ensuring bunches receive light and ventilation, and monitoring humidity. Inter-row work reaches approximately 15 cm to preserve moisture around the roots and reduce cracking in clay-rich soils.

New vineyards use recyclable, environmentally compatible materials, principally wooden or metal posts; pruning ties are biodegradable where possible. Vineyard management is assessed through VIVA indicators covering crop protection, fertilization, fertility and organic matter, soil compaction, erosion, surface-water management, grass cover and landscape biodiversity.

The estate integrates vines with 57 ha of natural areas, 9.55 ha of woodland, lakes, streams, pastures and diversified crops. Sixty-one hives of the native Sicilian black bee support pollination and conservation of a bee adapted to the island’s heat and disease pressures. The estate also contains olive groves, arable fields, orchards and almond groves, providing habitat outside the cultivated vineyards.

Regaleali maintains a historic winery that receives grapes exclusively from vineyards within the estate. Its modern identity developed through sustained experimentation in both cultivation and vinification: native varieties were preserved and selected, international varieties were tested through small experimental plantings, and individual vineyards were studied as distinct sources.

The production structure encompasses wines from individual vineyards and blends assembled from several estate vineyards. The cellar works with still white, rosé and red wines as well as bottle-fermented traditional-method sparkling wines. Estate-wide sustainability controls limit electricity use to below the SOStain threshold of 0.7 kWh per litre of wine processed. Finished wines undergo annual residue analysis; repeated testing has detected no residues, and sulfite levels remain below the limits set for organic wine.

Winery wastewater is collected and treated in a biological purification plant. Three springs provide potable water within the winery, while the municipal aqueduct supplies the hospitality facilities. Treated water joins rainwater and surrounding runoff in the Regaleali stream, flows to a settling “pre-lake,” and then feeds a larger lake used for vineyard irrigation.