Storia
Agricultural roots
Vigneti Zabù is based at Sambuca di Sicilia, a hill town in the Valle del Belice. The project connects its identity to the town’s ancient agricultural history and to very old vineyards described as heirs to a millennial local tradition. Its name recalls the Arab emir Al Zabuth “Lo Splendido,” regarded as Sambuca’s ancient founder and credited with giving new impetus to agriculture in the area.
2005 — Planting around Lake Arancio
The organic, low-yielding Nero d’Avola vineyards associated with Il Passo Verde were planted in 2005 on the hills surrounding Lake Arancio. The lake’s water moderates the summer environment and creates a favorable vineyard microclimate.
2010 — Establishment at Sambuca di Sicilia
Tenimenti Zabù was established in 2010 at Sambuca di Sicilia. Its vineyards occupy hills around Lake Arancio, an artificial lake that provides an important water resource for the surrounding agricultural area. The winery developed its range around the Sambuca landscape, working with Grillo, Nero d’Avola and Syrah.
Corporate structure and recent organization
The operating company, Tenimenti Zabù Srl, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fantini Group Vini Srl. In the ownership structure reported for 2022–2023, the parent company was held by the Sciotti family at 79.96%, Cordusio Fiduciaria at 20.01% and Terroir Holding Limited II at 0.03%.
The subsidiary’s 2023 governance consisted of administrators Valentino Sciotti and Carlo Piretti, with Alberto Davide serving as sole statutory auditor. Its average workforce grew from eight employees in 2021 to three in 2022 and thirteen in 2023; the 2023 total comprised nine men and four women.
Terroir
Vigneti Zabù is centered on Sambuca di Sicilia in the province of Agrigento, a town set on a hill in the Valle del Belice. The vineyards lie across the hills surrounding Lake Arancio. This artificial lake is a major local water resource, while its proximity influences vineyard microclimates and helps vines obtain water and nutrients during very dry periods.
The landscape combines alluvial plains, marine terraces, slopes, clay-rich hills and formations of marly limestone. Its soils include calcareous, silty, clayey, sandy, medium-textured and naturally mixed profiles. Individual vineyard descriptions emphasize fresh soils combining limestone and clay, as well as limestone sites with effective drainage. On the better-drained ground, roots can penetrate deeply in search of water and nutrients.
The climate is Mediterranean, dry and low in humidity, with strong, intense sunlight. Maritime influence, warm winds and sea breezes are defining elements. Sun and wind act directly on the vineyards beside Lake Arancio, while elevated, well-exposed positions promote concentration without sacrificing acidity. The lake also tempers the impact of hot Sicilian summers in the organic Nero d’Avola vineyards.
Vinificazione
The most clearly defined farming program concerns the Nero d’Avola vineyards planted in 2005 for Il Passo Verde. These vineyards are managed organically and at low yields, with the best fruit selected for vinification.
Across the Sambuca sites, vineyard care is adapted to the lake-influenced environment. Lake Arancio helps buffer summer heat and supports access to water and nutrients in very dry periods. Limestone soils provide drainage, encouraging roots to penetrate deeply. The vineyards beside the lake receive abundant sun and wind, while elevated positions combine concentrated sunlight with conditions that preserve acidity.
No estate-wide farming designation, certifying organization, certification date, numerical yield, planting density, training system, pruning method or harvest protocol is established for the complete vineyard base.
Production methods vary with grape type and intended style.
White grapes undergo soft pressing under reductive conditions. The must is fermented at low temperature to preserve aromatic character, followed by maturation in stainless-steel tanks.
Red-grape protocols use light pressing to avoid extracting green tannins. Published macerations last approximately 10–12 days at controlled temperature, with pump-overs as frequently as every four hours. A more detailed Nero d’Avola protocol specifies destemming and crushing, maceration at 22–24°C, three pump-overs per day and one délestage. Soft pressing follows; free-run and pressed fractions are combined, malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel, and maturation continues in stainless-steel tanks.
The organic Nero d’Avola program begins with selection from low-yielding vineyards. A very long fermentation with skin contact is used to extract color, structure and aromas before pressing. Half of the wine matures in barriques and half in concrete tanks for approximately six months, with malolactic fermentation occurring during this period. It is then bottled promptly to retain its fruit character.
Filosofia
Vigneti Zabù’s identity is rooted in Sambuca di Sicilia’s agricultural inheritance, its old vineyards and the interaction of Mediterranean climate, varied soils and Lake Arancio. The project treats sun, wind, maritime influence, elevation and access to water as complementary elements rather than relying on a single uniform vineyard model.
Quality begins with careful daily work in the vineyards and matching varieties to the conditions around Sambuca: well-drained limestone for Grillo, fresh limestone-and-clay soils for Syrah and Nero d’Avola, and organically managed, low-yielding sites for Il Passo Verde. Cellar work is similarly tailored, ranging from reductive low-temperature handling and stainless steel to extended skin contact and maturation divided between barriques and concrete.