In 1983, the Rallo family founded Donnafugata to champion the potential of Sicily's indigenous varieties. In the decades since, their unwavering dedication to this founding principle has resulted in “some of Sicily’s top wines, if not all of Italy’s” (Eric Guido, Vinous). The family has made wine in Marsala since 1851, where their ancient cellars tunnel beneath the city. They were one of the first families to make high-quality table wine when sales of traditional Marsala started to decline. Today, Donnafugata has five estates in Sicily: the historic Rallo family cellars in Marsala, a modern winery and 330 hectares at Contessa Entellina in the hills east of Marsala, 33 hectares in the Vittoria DOC, in Acate, towards the south-eastern point of the island, 56 hectares on the island of Pantelleria, in the Khamma district, and 33 hectares on the northern slopes of Etna in Randazzo. Donnafugata means ‘fleeing woman’ and refers to Queen Maria Carolina, who escaped the court of Naples in the early 19th century with her husband, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, when Napoleon’s troops arrived. The Donnafugata wines fuse Sicilian tradition with a modern approach.

Made from vines planted on the island of Pantelleria, off the south western coast of Sicily, this wine offers a modern interpretation of the classic Moscato Passito. Its name, Ben Ryé, derives from the Arabic “Son of the Wind”, a reference to the constant breeze that sweeps across the island. The vines are planted in hollows in the ground at altitudes between 20 and 400 metres above sea level, on terraced, sandy slopes of volcanic origin. The traditional low bush vines of Pantelleria are recognised by UNESCO as a “creative and sustainable practice”, and many are over 100 years old and ungrafted.

Grapes were hand-harvested and carefully selected in the vineyard. Upon arrival at the winery, they were sorted on a vibrating table and gently pressed. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The dried grapes were destemmed and hand-selected before being added to the fermenting must in several stages. A post-fermentation maceration followed, during which the dried grapes imparted sweetness and aromatic complexity. The entire process lasted over a month. Ageing occurred in stainless steel tanks for five months, followed by a minimum of 16 months of bottle ageing before release.

Cheese, figs, Crème Brulé