About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The Serra Ferdinandea vineyard is surrounded by forest and overlooks the part of the sea where Ferdinandea Island rose from the water for a few days in 1831. It lies on the western edge of the Sicani Mountains, between Sciacca and Sambuca di Sicilia. The text gives its height as 400–450 m above sea level. It also gives the plantings as ranging from 220 m at Risinata to 411 m at Monte Cirami. The local landscape was formed by the breakdown and transformation of limestone. The land had not been ploughed for centuries. The mix of Mediterranean and mountain environments forms a complex agricultural ecosystem of plant and animal life, and the microbial life has never been disturbed. The text says the vines in this area have some of the oldest roots in the Mediterranean, perhaps the oldest, as archaeological finds appear to suggest.
Soils at Risinata are partly loamy and relatively rich in organic matter. At Monte Cirami the surface has a dark layer with a substantial amount of organic matter. Below it are deep layers of limestone mixed with stones and sand, silt and clay. The grapes are grown according to organic farming principles and the SOStain protocol.
Vinification
Harvest is by hand in the first week of September, into 14 kg crates. The grapes are sorted by hand on sorting tables, then destemmed and gently pressed. Fermentation is split equally. Half the must ferments in 5000-litre stainless steel tanks and half in oak vats of the same size. Skin maceration lasts 4 weeks. Malolactic fermentation follows.
Ageing
The wine is aged in oak vats and 225-litre barriques for a minimum of 6 months. It is filtered before bottling.
Label / history
Serra Ferdinandea is part of Planeta's Ab Insula project, whose name means "from the island". The island is Sicily, where the Planeta family has lived and worked for three centuries. Serra Ferdinandea is a partnership between two families, Planeta of Sicily and Oddos of France. It is intended to renew the Sicilian-French connection in winegrowing and to add a French touch to Planeta's knowledge of the island's vineyards. The first vintage was released in 2019. The text describes the wine as having an unmistakably Sicilian character with a clear French touch.
