History
An agricultural landscape shaped over centuries
Borgo Guarini occupies a high, rolling section of the Trapani countryside whose identity is associated with a farming tradition described as millennia old. Its slopes descend toward the alluvial plain of a stream, while wheat, agaves, maritime pines, prickly pears and ancient olive trees remain part of the agricultural landscape. At 165 ha, it became the largest of Firriato’s agricultural estates.
Parcel-by-parcel development
The estate was developed around the recognition that its hills do not form a uniform growing environment. Differences in elevation, aspect, soil chemistry, fertility and microclimate led the Di Gaetano family’s team to manage individual vineyard portions separately. Varieties were positioned according to their ripening needs: Syrah and Nero d’Avola share a hillside ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon occupies a lower zone suited to slower and more regular maturation, and Grillo is planted where clay patches encourage deep root growth.
The three Nero d’Avola crus
Fifteen years of analysis and experimental microvinification preceded the identification of three distinct Nero d’Avola crus: Cru della Ferla, Cru della Lepre and Cru della Beccaccia. Three different massal selections of Nero d’Avola were established across these sites. Their grapes ripen at different times, are harvested separately and are vinified independently before blending. The proportions can change with the vintage following sensory and qualitative assessment.
Organic farming and specialised projects
Organic methods extend through every cultivation phase, including harvest. The estate also became a site for extended observation and experimentation with Catarratto, culminating in the selection of its clay-rich soils for the variety. A dedicated Giardino degli appassimenti was established for naturally drying Zibibbo under the combined action of sunlight and wind. The estate’s agricultural scope also includes certified-organic olive cultivation, using Cerasuola and Nocellara.
Terroir
Location and topography
Borgo Guarini covers 165 ha in western Sicily’s Trapani countryside. It forms a high-hill nucleus approximately 20 km from the sea, predominantly facing south and ranging from about 300 to 400 m above sea level. Soft, ventilated slopes descend toward the alluvial plain of a stream. Elevation, solar exposure and the soil-climate setting change substantially between hills and vineyard portions.
Constant winds arriving from the Mediterranean influence the exposed slopes. During the hottest part of the season, the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures can reach 20°C, moderating ripening and contributing to the grapes’ aromatic and organoleptic development. Vines of the same variety may consequently differ in budding and ripening times.
Geology
The underlying geology belongs to the earliest calcarenitic formations of the Pre-Panormide complex. It comprises sandstone and pelite with interbedded quartz-arenite and carbonate layers dating from the middle to late Oligocene, approximately 23–33 million years ago.
Soil orders and physical structure
Three soil orders occur within the estate: Entisols, Inceptisols and Vertisols. The hills are predominantly based on a clay succession in which Inceptisols are especially important. The physical matrix is montmorillonitic clay, modified structurally by calcium carbonate and humified organic matter. This combination gives the soil effective drainage despite its clay content.
Winter rain softens and concentrates the clay, leaving visible saline outcrops in parts of the terrain. Chemically, the soils contain potassium, calcium and magnesium, medium-to-high concentrations of calcium carbonate and generally limited salt reserves. The proportion of these components changes from hill to hill.
Contrasting microenvironments
Higher and lower portions behave differently. Descending toward the stream bed, soils become progressively more fertile and vigorous. Cooler sites delay vegetative development and ripening, while warmer south-facing Vertisol sites produce earlier maturation. This variation creates multiple growing environments not only for different varieties but also for a single variety, most visibly Nero d’Avola.
Natural setting
The surrounding vegetation includes agaves, maritime pines, prickly pears, wheat and ancient olive trees. Viticulture, olive growing and the drying of Zibibbo coexist within this broader agricultural landscape.
Winemaking
Organic and dryland cultivation
Borgo Guarini is cultivated organically through every stage, including harvest. The wider certification framework currently follows Regulation (EU) 2018/848; the completed company-wide conversion received BioAgriCert conformity certification in 2012 under Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.
Dryland farming is possible because the clay-rich soils store winter rainfall and encourage deep root development. Plant growth, crop load and vine vitality are monitored closely as temperatures rise so that water stress does not interrupt ripening.
Soil and canopy management
Agronomic decisions vary from one vineyard portion to another. Ground cover is maintained in vigorous clay soils to create competition within the rows and moderate vegetative strength. Pruning is deliberately strict, leaving few fruiting buds to regulate yield. Lower sites near the stream are more fertile and may require cluster thinning according to the season.
Leguminous green manure is used in the clay soils planted to Grillo and Catarratto to nourish the soil and improve its condition. Synthetic herbicides are replaced by natural agents and microorganisms. Spontaneous vegetation supplies nutrients and creates habitat for beneficial insects that help control potential pests.
Variety placement and crop balance
Syrah shares a hillside ridge and similar soil-climate conditions with Nero d’Avola. Cabernet Sauvignon is positioned lower on the slope, where its requirement for slow, regular maturation can be accommodated. Clay patches allow Grillo roots to extend downward and favour the formation of small berries. Across the estate, relatively limited production per vine is used to favour grape quality.
Harvest sequence
Harvest is manual. Zibibbo ripens first, between the second and third ten-day periods of August, and is handled carefully to preserve berry integrity. Drying continues for approximately 40 days while the remaining varieties mature. Grillo follows around the beginning of September. Merlot, the estate’s earliest-ripening red variety, is generally picked during the second ten-day period of September. Nero d’Avola requires three separate passes because its sites ripen at different times. Cabernet Sauvignon closes the principal sequence between the second ten-day period and the beginning of the final ten-day period of September.
Within the Zibibbo drying garden, workers bend the stalks by hand, arrange bunches on trellises and turn them daily until dehydration is complete.
Parcel separation
The three Nero d’Avola crus—Ferla, Lepre and Beccaccia—are harvested according to their individual ripening curves and vinified separately. Sensory and qualitative assessments determine the balance of the final blend, allowing its proportions to vary with the conditions of each vintage.
Naturally dried Zibibbo
Zibibbo destined for the estate’s passito production is dried naturally on trellises for approximately 40 days. Sunlight and wind drive dehydration, while daily manual turning promotes even drying. One estate method introduces the dried, destemmed berries into wine by infusion: the berries rehydrate in contact with the wine and release their aromatic components without a sequence of prolonged, interrupted and restarted fermentations. Another method introduces dried grapes into must before fermentation.
For Ecrù, vinification proceeds in stainless steel followed by carefully measured clarification. Other estate-grown white varieties are handled through soft pressing and temperature-controlled fermentation; selected expressions mature on fine lees in stainless steel with periodic agitation. Sparkling production represented at the estate uses pressure-tank secondary fermentation according to the Martinotti–Charmat method.
Philosophy
Borgo Guarini is treated as a collection of distinct vineyards rather than a uniform property. Its guiding principle is to match varieties and agronomic decisions to the changing soils, elevations, exposures and microclimates of each portion.
The estate functions as an open-air laboratory in which the influence of soil and microclimate can be studied within a single variety. The three Nero d’Avola crus embody this approach: their differences are retained through separate harvests and vinifications, while the final balance is reassessed with every vintage.
The Di Gaetano family’s stated priorities are care for the land, organic cultivation and preservation of the agricultural environment. Quality is pursued through moderated vine vigour, restricted crop loads, manual harvesting and close observation of ripening rather than by forcing uniform development across the estate.
Native Sicilian varieties are central to this work, but the estate also uses its climatic and orographic diversity to accommodate international grapes. Tradition and experimentation meet most visibly in the Giardino degli appassimenti, where intensive manual work sustains natural Zibibbo drying while infusion offers a distinctive vinification approach.