Bonavita

History

A rural landscape documented in 1933

Monsignor Francesco Alizio’s Un Paese Distrutto, published in Messina in 1933, describes a mule track leading toward a landscape that earlier generations had named Buonavita. The book presents the view as a concentrated expression of the local landscape and records the historical reputation of Faro wine, including its export by French merchants. It also identifies Nocera as the predominant variety on the sunny uplands of Faro Superiore.

Giovanni Scarfone’s return to Faro Superiore

Giovanni Scarfone studied Agricultural Sciences in Bologna and subsequently returned to his roots in Faro Superiore. He chose to remain there and develop his own conception of wine and rural life in a demanding agricultural territory.

Scarfone works directly in both vineyard and cellar, without intermediaries. Bonavita is deliberately maintained as a small, artisanal estate centred on Faro DOC, indigenous Sicilian varieties and the agricultural landscape of Faro Superiore.

1933Monsignor Francesco Alizio published *Un Paese Distrutto* in Messina, documenting the landscape called Buonavita, the historical reputation and French export of Faro wine, and the prevalence of Nocera around Faro Superiore.

After completing his degreeGiovanni Scarfone returned from Bologna to Faro Superiore after graduating in Agricultural Sciences and began developing his own approach to wine and rural life.

Current periodScarfone manages vineyard and cellar work directly, maintaining Bonavita as a deliberately small, artisanal estate focused on Faro DOC and indigenous Sicilian grapes.

Terroir

Bonavita is based in Faro Superiore, a small village in the hills of Messina in north-eastern Sicilia. Its coordinates are 38.270 N, 15.578 E.

The vineyards occupy terraces at 250–300 metres above sea level. Two plots covering almost 3 hectares form a natural amphitheatre overlooking the Strait of Messina, where the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas meet. The terraces are enclosed by woodland containing centuries-old oak and chestnut trees.

The old alberello-trained vines associated with Faro DOC grow on clay and limestone soils. The combination of terraced slopes, maritime outlook and surrounding woodland defines the estate’s immediate growing environment.

Winemaking

Certified-organic vineyardsAll estate vineyards are cultivated under certified-organic principles without chemical fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides.

Green manureLegumes and grasses are sown in autumn to enrich the vineyard soils naturally.

Low-impact protectionOnly low doses of copper and sulfur are used for vineyard protection.

Hand harvestGrapes are harvested and selected manually in the vineyard during the first two ten-day periods of October.

Long skin macerationArtisanal vinification employs extended contact with the skins and prolonged maturation.

Minimal finishingThe wines are neither stabilized nor fined and receive only light filtration when necessary before bottling.

All vineyards are managed under certified-organic principles. Chemical fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides are excluded.

Leguminous and grass cover crops are sown in autumn as green manure to enrich the soil naturally. Vineyard protection is limited to low doses of copper and sulfur. This approach is intended to preserve the native flora and fauna surrounding the terraces.

Yields are kept low, at approximately 60 quintals per hectare, to favour the expression of the indigenous varieties and their growing environment. Harvesting takes place manually between the first and second ten-day periods of October. Grapes are selected directly in the vineyard and then transported to the cellar, located only a few hundred metres away.

Production is conducted on an artisanal scale in a cellar situated a few hundred metres from the vineyards. Hand-picked grapes are selected in the vineyard before the short transfer to the winery.

Vinification is based on extended skin maceration and prolonged maturation. No chemical additives are introduced. The wines undergo neither stabilization nor fining; a light filtration may be performed before bottling only when necessary.

The approach gives the wines sufficient time to develop and is intended to preserve the expression of Faro Superiore rather than shape it through intensive cellar intervention.

Philosophy

Giovanni Scarfone’s philosophy is grounded in remaining in Faro Superiore and working directly with its demanding agricultural landscape. He regards wine as the result of manual work, patience and sustained attention, and believes in the value of Faro DOC, indigenous grape varieties and the rural identity of the area.

Bonavita is small by deliberate choice and artisanal by conviction. Vineyard work seeks a natural balance among soil, sea and people while safeguarding native flora and fauna. Low yields, manual harvesting and close vineyard selection place the emphasis on the quality and identity of the raw material.

In the cellar, time is treated as an active element of production. Long macerations, prolonged maturation, the exclusion of chemical additives and minimal finishing are intended to allow the wines to articulate Faro Superiore and north-eastern Sicilia with limited manipulation.