Summary
Tasca d'Almerita is one of the oldest and most influential wine dynasties in Sicily. Since 1830 the family has owned Tenuta Regaleali in the mountainous interior – around 600 hectares across six hills between 450 and 850 metres in altitude, with twelve different soil types. From here the house has, over a century and a half, helped shape what Sicilian wine means today: the Rosso del Conte from the 1970 vintage was among the first proofs that the island could produce great, long-lived reds. The group now comprises five estates spanning Sicily's most important terroirs – from Etna through the Aeolian Islands to Marsala. It has been led since 2001 by Alberto Tasca, under whom the house has become a pioneer of sustainability in Italian wine.
History
In 1830 the Tasca d'Almerita family acquired the Regaleali estate in the heart of Sicily – a date marking the start of an unbroken winegrowing tradition that continues today. As early as 1854 the estate was listed as a model farm in the Sicilian agricultural yearbook: a sign that more was going on here from the outset than the mere administration of land.
The decisive leap, however, came only in the twentieth century. In 1959, vines of Perricone and Nero d'Avola were planted, and from them the first Rosso del Conte was made in 1970 – initially as 'Riserva del Conte'. At a time when Sicilian wine was known internationally above all as bulk and blending material, that was a small revolution: a red from the island claiming ageing capacity and ambition.
In the early 1980s came the white Nozze d'Oro, from Inzolia and the house's own selection Sauvignon Tasca, named after a golden wedding anniversary in the family. In the late 1980s the house planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay among the first in Sicily – a step controversial at the time and formative in hindsight.
Since 2001 Alberto Tasca has led the company. Under him the group has grown beyond Regaleali: Tenuta Tascante on Etna, Tenuta Capofaro on the Aeolian island of Salina, Sallier de la Tour near Monreale and an estate on the island of Mozia off Marsala.
Location & Terroir
Regaleali lies not on the coast but in Sicily's mountainous interior – and that is precisely where its appeal lies. At 450 to 850 metres the nights are markedly cooler than in the rest of the island. That wide day–night swing preserves acidity and aroma in the grapes, while the Sicilian sun ensures full ripeness. Twelve different soil types are spread across six hills, making it possible to place each variety where it best belongs.
The other estates add entirely different terroirs. Tascante lies on the northern slope of Etna on volcanic ground – the home of Nerello Mascalese, whose wines come across as pale, taut and almost Burgundian. Capofaro on Salina stands for Malvasia delle Lipari in the middle of the sea. Sallier de la Tour near Monreale is warmer and more Mediterranean in character, and the estate on Mozia off Marsala works with Grillo on a flat lagoon island.
Style & Philosophy
Two threads run through the house.
The first is a claim to origin. Instead of defining Sicilian wine by variety and price, Tasca d'Almerita has spent decades working out terroirs – first at Regaleali, then at the other estates. Native varieties such as Nero d'Avola, Perricone, Grillo, Catarratto and Nerello Mascalese are central; some 25 varieties in all are grown at Regaleali.
The second is sustainability. Under Alberto Tasca the house became the first winery with dual certification under SOStain and VIVA, the two authoritative Italian sustainability programmes for viticulture. This is not only about plant protection but about water, energy, packaging weight, biodiversity and the social dimension of the business. Alberto Tasca is also president of the SOStain Sicilia foundation, carrying the approach well beyond his own estates.
Famous Vineyards & Wines
- Rosso del Conte – the flagship red from Perricone and Nero d'Avola, first made in the 1970 vintage
- Nozze d'Oro – the white from Inzolia and Sauvignon Tasca, created in the early 1980s
- Tenuta Regaleali Bianco and Rosso – the house's widely distributed estate wines
- Tascante – the Etna wines from Nerello Mascalese on the volcanic northern slope
- Capofaro – Malvasia from the island of Salina
- Plus Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, which the house introduced in the late 1980s as one of the first addresses in Sicily
Depending on origin, the wines carry the designations DOC Contea di Sclafani, DOC Sicilia, Etna DOC or IGT Terre Siciliane.
Awards
Tasca d'Almerita has for decades been among Italy's regularly decorated houses; the Rosso del Conte is one of those wines that consistently earn high scores in the leading Italian guides and in the international trade press. At least as significant, though, is the house's role as a trailblazer: without Regaleali and the Rosso del Conte, Sicily's rise from bulk supplier to a wine region taken seriously would hardly have unfolded the way it did.