Feudo Montoni: High-Altitude Sicilian Wines from Cammarata

The estate at Feudo Montoni has existed since 1469, when the baglio was built around a central courtyard. A baglio is a structure originally built as dwellings for dozens of families; today it holds the cellars and winemaking. Producing top-quality wines in the high hills of Sicily is a tradition that stretches back to the 19th century.

Three generations of the Sireci family

Rosario Sireci purchased the estate in the late 19th century and discovered a wealth of ancient vines. He cared for it until he passed it on to his son, Elio. Today Feudo Montoni is led by Elio's son, Fabio, the third generation of the Sireci family.

After graduating from engineering school, Fabio chose to return to Montoni instead of pursuing a career in the auto industry on the mainland. He learned winemaking by working with his father and reading enology books. Southern Italian wines are often seen as deep in color and structure, with jammy fruit. Feudo Montoni wines are recognized instead for elegance and freshness, thanks to higher altitudes.

Melissa joins Fabio

New York-born Melissa Muller, a fellow Sicilian, opened and ran three successful Sicilian restaurants and wrote the acclaimed cookbook Sicily: Recipes Rooted in Tradition. Her life changed when a bottle of Fabio's wine was brought to one of her restaurants. On her next trip to Sicily she met Fabio. A fast friendship grew into something more, and it was not long before she left New York and joined him in Sicily as co-head of Feudo Montoni.

They work as partners: Fabio leads winemaking and agriculture, while Melissa handles sales, marketing and hospitality. Their two children already help with farm activities, as the next generation prepares to carry on the legacy.

Viticulture and winemaking

Feudo Montoni is in Cammarata, 35 miles southeast of Palermo. The 160-hectare estate sits 500 to 800 meters above sea level, with 44 hectares under vine between two mountain ranges. The soils are a mix of sand and clay, and the estate is certified organic.

The estate is famous for Nero d'Avola but also grows indigenous varietals, including Perricone, Nerello Mascalese, Catarratto, Grillo and Inzolia. When Elio replanted the vineyards, he used massal selection instead of sourcing vines from a nursery. Dead or underperforming vines are replaced with new vines grown from cuttings of the best older ones, which maintains the health and quality of the vineyard.

The viticultural compass is to "preserve nature's copyright and let the land express itself." Fermentation and aging take place primarily in concrete vessels, with indigenous yeasts. Fabio also adds sun-dried stems from the bunches back into the must for sweeter tannins, complexity and ageability.

Find Feudo Montoni at Eataly

Stop by our stores or shop online to try Feudo Montoni's wines and taste what high-altitude Sicilian wine is about.