Wines From Sicily

Celebrated for its hot sunny climate, historic monuments and rich culinary tradition, Sicily has been producing rich flavoured and full-bodied wines since Greek and Roman times. Well known for its warm Mediterranean climate, hot sun, intense light, and fertile soil, Sicily has blossomed into one of the world's most promising wine regions.

Arancio cultivates its own grapes in two large estates along the windy south coast of the island. A total of 1,500 acres of estate vineyards are planted in single varietal fields in order to offer 100% single varietal wines to the final consumer.

Arancio's new state-of-the-art facilities are utilized to take full advantage of what this bountiful land has to offer. A new generation of talented and passionate Sicilian winemarkers and vineyard managers produce Arancio wines that are consistent representations of Sicilian and International varietals grown in the hot Sicilian climate. Arancio wines are well recived by all major international magazines, year after year

Winery

The Arancio winery was constructed to make quality single-varietal wines and is equipped with cutting-edge machinery.

All of the tanks are made of stainless steel and have small dimensions. The entire winery is climate-controlled and the vast barricaia permits us to refine wines with great structure and intense aromas.

The evolution of the wines is constantly supervised by two winemakers and a team of seven assistants. The mission of this expert staff is to create high-quality wines that are rich, intense aromatic and elegant with soft tannins.

In homage to the Sicilian tradition and territory, the winery of the Arancio Estate is constructed in the traditional baglio style(a rustic villa). The mix of state-of-the-art technology and traditional architecture in the winery reflects the style of the final product

Vineyards

The 1,500 acres of vineyards are located on the southern coast of Sicily and are housed in two holdings: Sambuca di Sicilia (Agrigento) and Acate (Ragusa).

The vines are cultivated in straight lines, with approximately 2,200 vines per acre and a production of approximately 4-5 lbs. of grapes per vine. The vineyards are cared for on a daily basis by a group of five expert agronomists and a team of 100 people in the fields. The vineyards are also monitored by a computerized system that precisely manages the cultivation of the vines and the harvest of grapes. All of these measures are taken in order to obtain the highest level of quality Sicily has to offer.

The vineyards of the Arancio Estate are the foundation of our winemaking philosophy - we never forget that the high quality brought out in the winemaking process ultimately comes from the vines, themselves.

Products

Each Arancio wine is a pure expression of the varietal from which it is made. They are full-bodied, intense and elegant. These wines are ideal for pairing with food or to be enjoyed by themselves.

The product line ranges from Sicilian local varietals, such as Nero d'Avola, the red wine flagship of the Sicily, and Grillo, a white wine, to international grapes, such as Syrah, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Hekate, a dessert passito wine made from sun-dried grapes with concentrated flavour and texture, completes a portfolio that represent the best of Sicilian winemarking tradition

Green

The creation of Arancio and all of its facilities was done with the environment in mind. A large amount of time and resources were invested in not only creating the winery and all its vineyards from scratch, but to do so in such a way that they would have a minimized environmental impact. As a result, Arancio received Eco Management and Audit Scheme 2 (EMAS 2) certification in 2002. Only the second winery to achieve this voluntary environmental certification, Arancio assessed its initial environmental condition, drafted plans for environmental impact improvements and committed to an external auditing system that evaluates the results of these projects. This certification plays a large role in Arancio's efforts to promote the image of grape growers and producers as guardians of the land instead of exploiters of the land. Prior to EMAS 2, Arancio's environmental management system has been certified according to the internationally recognized set of requirements of UNI-EN-ISO 14001.

A fundamental part of our environmental impact plan is to limit the use of chemical treatments as much as possible. Alternative methods for combating problems in the field were implemented. These methods include the correct use of copper and sulfur (also permitted in organic cultivation), the introduction of positive insects in the vineyard and the use of "sexual confusion," a biological system used to fight against hazardous bugs by limiting their reproduction through pheromone over-stimulation. In addition, all plant waste is recycled as fertilizer, reducing the amount of commercial fertilizer used in the field.

Specific techniques are used to maximized the natural conditions of the vines to prevent disease and promote quality grape production. Close attention to the vine and vigilant pruning allow the grapes to be optimally ventilated and well-protected. Innovative irrigation systems maximize the use of water resources and guarantees that water arrives where it is needed most. Grass and indigenous plants are grown around the vines to prevent erosion in the winter and provide additional fertilization materials in the spring. As an extension of this concept native orchids, including some rare species, are cared for along the edges of the vineyards, helping to maintain the indigenous flora of the region. A lemon tree garden was also planted to beautify the surrounding mines, just recently restructured and reclaimed to its prime condition.

In addition, Arancio invested in two installations of solar panels (to produce hot water) and photoelectric panels. The energy of the sun is used to heat water to extremely high temperatures for the cleaning and sterilization of the winery. The photoelectric panels produce 150-200,000 kW/year, enough energy for 50-80 households of four for a year. Conversely, into to maintain cool temperature in the winery, half of the winery was constructed below ground level to take advantage of the natural cooling effect of the earth.

Water is a valuable resource in a hot climate such as Sicily, and Arancio constructed a water treatment system that stressed the ground water as little as possible. There are seven artificial reservoirs at our Sicilian holdings that contain 1 million liters (260,000 gallons) of water. As a supplement to rain and ground water, Arancio desalinizes sea water through reverse osmosis to keep its reservoirs full. In order to preserve this water, all waste water is collect and cleaned through a micro organism-based filtration system and then returned to the reservoirs. A computerized drop irrigation system is used in the fields to efficiently provide water where it is needed and to prevent undesired run-off.

By maximizing the natural conditions and the efficiency of resources, Arancio has greatly limited its environmental impact and preserved regional resources.