Giovanni Sallemi

Early generations

Long before the present vineyard was planted, Giovanni Sallemi's grandfather searched for good land to farm. He rented land belonging to Baron Silvestri and planted several grape varieties there. As a child, Giovanni remembers crushing grapes in his father's millstone at the age of four; working the screw press felt like a game to him.

When the family could afford to buy land of its own, Sallemi's grandfather and father purchased a property in the Petrascritto area. It proved unsuitable for growing grapes, as the wine made from its fruit turned into vinegar, so the property was sold.

Francesco Sallemi's hillside site

Drawing on that experience, Giovanni's father, Francesco Sallemi, chose an ideal site for the family's next purchase: south-facing hills with clay and partly sandy soils, 350 metres above sea level. This land began producing wines, which were sold only in bulk.

Giovanni Sallemi

The winery's present vineyard was planted in the 1970s in Granieri, a small village near Caltagirone. Giovanni Sallemi began bottling his wines with the 2015 vintage, bringing the winery recognition far beyond Sicily. Out of respect for the work of his late father, Giovanni kept the production process unchanged. Beginning with the 2022 vintage, Giovanni gained organic certification.

The vineyard purchased by Francesco Sallemi lies on south-facing hills with clay and partly sandy soils, at 350 metres above sea level. The present-day estate vineyard is located in Granieri, a small village near Caltagirone.

Only natural products—sulphur, copper and sheep manure—are used in the vineyard, and the grapes are harvested by hand. Beginning with the 2022 vintage, the vineyard gained organic certification.

Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks using only native yeasts, whose spores have lain dormant and built up over many years in the cracks of the tanks, giving the finished wines their distinctive identity. A short maceration means Giovanni does not need to treat the wine before bottling. For ageing, Sallemi uses old oak barrels or stainless-steel tanks. The only significant innovation is protecting the wine by topping up with food-grade nitrogen.

Giovanni Sallemi describes the winery's story as one of choices, trial and error, and social change across generations, and of long journeys and a constant return to places filled with memories. Out of respect for his late father's work, he has kept the production process unchanged. He states his wish is to reach more people who share his desire to drink wine while respecting the land, nature and the vine.