Valdibella Camporeale

The Integrity Take

This wonderful cooperative in Sicily is the combination of 10 farms producing olives, pastas and grains in addition to the wines. Their hillside vineyards are at high elevations up to 1650 feet and produce wines from native grapes that respect the history of Sicily and ancient winemaking methods.

A collective of many farms, Valdibella, a sustainable project within which all resources, both human and natural, find their own realization
The origins on Camporeale date to 1642 when the Jesuits began farming this area
All wines are made by spontaneous fermentation

The Story

From the beginning, Valdibella implemented methods of organic farming focused on biodiversity and native crops. Operating under a “Charter for Biodiversity,” crops of olives, figs, and pomegranates are integrated with the vines. The co-op believes that “a monoculture, even if organic, is always negative.” The aim is to minimize the differences with the original ecosystem; if it’s in balance, the plants can be healthy and nutritious.

Great importance is given to the development phase of the grapes, concentrating on specific techniques: bush-trained or espalier-trained cultivation, producing low yields, using zero tillage, green pruning, dry-farming, and manual harvesting.

The hillside vineyards are composed primarily of clay soils at elevations of 1,000 to 1,650ft, allowing the wines to be both full and fresh.

In the cellar, full respect is paid to the natural features of the grape. Interventions are minimal; no synthetic chemical substances are ever utilized. The organic grapes are rich in native yeasts that are perfectly able to carry out the fermentation.

Valdibella’s devotion to sustainability in their community doesn’t end in their vineyards. The co-op is involved with ‘Open Arms Community’, which supports unaccompanied migrant children. Valdibella helps train and employ them in an effort to better integrate them into Italian society. The winery also helped establish ‘Adiopizzo,’ which resists the local mafia by refusing to pay extortion money.