Vino Lauria
In the gently rolling hills of Alcamo, where the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Sicilian sun create a unique terroir, the story of Vino Lauria unfolds. Here, 65 kilometres south-west of Palermo, Vito Lauria is bringing back to life the estate his grandfather founded in 1958. His philosophy combines a deep understanding of Sicily's indigenous grape varieties with precise cellar work. On organically farmed high-altitude sites between 600 and 1,000 metres, he makes approachable wines full of character, with that authentic Mediterranean freshness, at an affordable price.The wines
None of this estate's wines can currently be delivered to Switzerland. Browse all wines
Five years of work without selling a single drop: anyone who starts like that has to be convinced. Vito Lauria was. In 2005 the trained oenologist returned to Sicily to revive his grandfather's estate. The old buildings in Alcamo had stood empty since 1993. In 2010 he finally bottled his first vintage.
Vineyards between 600 and 1,000 metres
These exceptional altitudes shape every wine from Vino Lauria. While other Sicilian estates battle the heat, Vito benefits from cool nights and the breeze off the Tyrrhenian Sea. His 25 hectares are spread across Alcamo and Marsala, limestone for the whites and clay for the reds. Catarratto Costabisaccia comes from a 30-year-old, north-facing vineyard near Grisì at 600 metres, a rarity on this island.
Sicily's forgotten grape varieties
Zibibbo, Grillo, Catarratto, Perricone: Vito concentrates on the island's indigenous treasures. His Solerte Macerato is a skin-macerated Zibibbo that develops its complex aromatics through long skin contact, a Sicilian orange wine that translates the grape's expressive muscat notes into a salty, almost textile structure.
Quarantasarme, a wine between two worlds
The rarest wine in the range bears an enigmatic name: Quarantasarme, Sicilian for "forty arms". The Perricone grapes for this red grow in the borderland between Alcamo and Camporeale, on the same range of hills where Case Alte also farms its vineyards. It is a place where the soils still have stories to tell and the old vines have put down deep roots. Quarantasarme brings this rugged beauty to the glass.
Perpetuo, a living legacy
One wine links Vito to his family's history in a special way: Perpetuo. In 1978 his father sealed the first barrel of this wine, and since then it has been topped up every year following the solera principle. Almost 50 years of family history lie dormant in this single barrel. It is the only wine that survived the closure of 1993, and today it adds depth to the certified organic range. A perpetuum that lives up to its name.