Gabriella is the source of inspiration for our name and labels; Masterpieces by the artist Stefano Vitale.
The story of the name “Donnafugata” originates from the most Sicilian of novels: Il Gattopardo and refers to Queen Maria Carolina who, fleeing from Naples, found refuge where the company’s vineyards are today. A story that also inspired the logo: the face of a woman with her hair blowing in the wind.
A face, and a story, which is also that of Gabriella Rallo, the “woman on the run” who abandons her job as a teacher to take care of the Contessa Entellina vineyards full time. One of the first women in Sicily to produce wine in a sector typically dominated by men: a pioneer of quality feminine-style wine-growing.
Gabriella is the source of inspiration for the labels designed for Donnafugata by Stefano Vitale. An exceptional artist capable of making the personality of each wine stand out.
A harmonious understanding between Gabriella and Stefano that began in 1992 and has lasted for over 30 years: the artist manages to capture the personality of each wine and evoke the colors and the land of Sicily. Our unique and inimitable designer labels express themselves with a distinguishing feminine language, an indissoluble part of the essence of Donnafugata.
In 1994 Stefano designed La Fuga: the label is dedicated to Gabriella, the one who escaped from her past as a teacher to start an adventure in the world of wine with her husband.
Stefano loves popular art, which is an art of archetypes, and it conquers because it is immediate and mysteriously familiar in its forms: La Fuga, with hair blowing in the wind, is captivating because it is ancestral. In its thick tresses it bears the waves of the sea, the meandering rows of vines, the gentle hills of Contessa Entellina, the yellow tufaf.
In over 20 years, Vitale has thus created the illustrations for 20 Donnafugata wine labels, one for oil and others devoted to the Donnafugata Music & Wine project and to the CDs.
In 2018, with the exhibition “Inseguendo Donnafugata” we celebrated our friendship with Stefano Vitale, together with FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the National Trust of Italy), in the splendid setting of Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan. The artist’s original drawings and illustrations were on display: small, colorful treasures with a strong expressive and emotional power that gave life to our labels and that tell about wine and Sicily via a fantastic and feminine language that so extraordinarily creates an identity.
Stefano Vitale was born in Padua in 1958. When he was very young, he moved to the United States where he enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena: during the years spent in California, Vitale traveled extensively in Mexico and Central America remaining strongly influenced by the folk art of these places.
After graduating, Stefano moved to New York, and his career as an illustrator came to life. After 15 years in the Big Apple, he returned to his home country, Italy.
In 1994, Vitale met Gabriella Anca Rallo: a professional collaboration was born between them that soon became a bond of deep friendship.
In the author’s imagination, the palace illustrated on the label is inspired by the one where Queen Maria Carolina took refuge while fleeing from Naples and was the favorite house of the writer Tomasi di Lampedusa in Santa Margherita Belìce. Gabriella Anca Rallo – founder of Donnafugata together with her husband Giacomo – captures its image and embeds it into the sky from “The Arabian Nights”, full of stars and full of promises. A tribute to the passionate masterpiece of oriental literature, capable of telling a thousand and one fairy tales.
If you remember Alain Delon in the famous movie that Luchino Visconti made from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, you will see that this wine reflects the elegance and ambition of that “revolutionary” man. With the vintage 2015, the labels offers a new illustration by artist Stefano Vitale who has dedicated this artwork to Giacomo Rallo, visionary captain of Donnafugata. The Contessa Entellina winery is always there, in the clouds as if it was a mirage: a magical place, where Giacomo began the Donnafugata adventure with his wife Gabriella, and where some of the vineyards that contribute to the Tancredi blend are located. Places where the memory of the man and his dreams, which became reality, will remain indelible.
“… of loves and ladies, knights and arms…”. Would that be Angelica of Orlando Furioso fleeing on the horse portrayed on the label? Donnafugata has many “women in flight;” each of these has a past of history and tradition but, for sure, a future of softness and seduction.
Dedicated to the irresistible and ambitious Angelica Sedàra with green eyes, the fashinatig Claudia Cardinale, protagonist of the film “Il Gattopardo” (The Leopard) directed by Luchino Visconti. The label, also in the new version, refers to the Contessa Entellina winer.
Sherazade, a symbolic female character and protagonist of the “One Thousand and One Nights”, with a voice that is pulpy with fruit, wrapped in drapes of spices, also tells you the tales of the masterpiece of oriental literature. Sherazade, an intensely Mediterranean label, in complete Donnafugata style, offers itself up for an unforgettable taste.
Lumera is an evocative name, in full Donnafugata style. It’s the beloved woman, the sublime being who inspires joy and fullness of life. It’s the woman portrayed on the label, it’s the wine that bears her name. Lumera is the protagonist of a Sicilian poem that celebrates courtly love and experiments a form, the Dolce Stil Novo, which decidedly anticipates the Italian language. “Or come pote sì grande donna intrare / Per gli occhi mei, che sì piccioli son? / e nel mio core come pote stare […], ma voglio a lei Lumera asomigliare […]
An elegant woman, her face illuminated by a slight smile: how can we not think of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Lady with an Ermine? A perfect balance of the elements of art, culture and nature. Compared to the very elegant original sketch, only a few touches of gold foil have been added in the perlage, like wedges of light that herald all the fine vitality of the contents.
An elegant woman, her face illuminated by a slight smile, how can we not think of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Lady with an Ermine and the many portraits of women of 16th century Italian art. A perfect balance of the elements of art, culture and nature. Compared to the very elegant original sketch, made on a wooden board, we have added a pink background that recalls the nuances of the wine and a few touches of gold foil in the perlage like wedges of light that herald all the fine vivacity of the contents.
The wine made its debut in 1992 as Chiarandà del Merlo from the names of the two vineyards where the Ansonica and Chardonnay grapes were grown. Ten years later the name has been simplified to Chiarandà and the label has been enriched with a female figure that suggests complexity and refinement.
“Vigna di Gabri” is not a fantasy name, because the wine bears the name of Gabriella (founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo), who originally wanted to create it and strongly believed in the full flavored fragrance of Ansonica. The graphics, already renewed on the occasion of the wine’s 25th Anniversary, with the 2017 vintage, pick up and emphasize some elements present in the original illustration by Stefano Vitale: a master-label that tells the link between Gabri and her Cru. The introduction of the Burgundy bottle also wants to enhance the preciousness and elegance of this wine which is one of Donnafugata’s most beloved wines.
Gabriella Anca Rallo (founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo) thought of “fleeing” and beginning a new life, passing from the arts to the land. Gabriella is a woman with the wind in her hair who is never at rest. Gabriella invented La Fuga, a label that not only suggests movement but also sunshine and the land.
The name and label recall the serenity we feel when we contemplate nature. Passiperduti is a poetic and elegant wine capable of evoking some of the most representative lines of Italian literature: “L’infinito” by Giacomo Leopardi. “Sempre caro mi fu quest’ermo colle, e questa siepe, … Ma sedendo e mirando, interminati spazi di là da quella, …. mi sovvien l’eterno, …e il naufragar m’è dolce in questo mare.”
Onomatopoeic word of Arabic origin which means “cricket”. This label is a reminder of the beauty of spring, seen through the eyes of a little girl. Our Gabriella (founder of Donnafugata together with her husband Giacomo) is the little girl who is running barefoot among the flowers and fresh grass, following the song of the crickets that to her ears sounds as sweet as a thousand “SurSurs …”.
Joy, happiness is the meaning of prio in the Sicilian dialect. It is the unexpected and authentic joy of a woman, sitting on a beach at sunset on an early summer’s day, gently kissed by a butterfly that has landed on her face. An intriguing and sensual label like Donnafugata’s Lucido.
The label depicts the face of a woman, mysterious and fleeting like the Elymian civilization. Anthilìa is the name given to the city of Entella on the top of the Rocca in Roman times. Today, Anthìlia is the name of a win that is identified with the ancient territory where it has its roots. It is the first wine to have been conceived at Donnafugata and still remains to this day in the hearts of many admirers.
Damarino has a new author label signed by Stefano Vitale, the exceptional artist who manages to make the personality of each Donnafugata wine shine. The colorful label encloses the bewitching aromatic profile of this wine in a spectacular hat and immediately transports you to the seashore, in the company of a mysterious and fascinating woman.
Olive cultivation on Sicily boasts a millenary tradition. In the landscape robust twisted trunks, centuries old and still productive, stand majestically among young olive trees. Milleanni was born here, among timeless scents and fragrances, while the wind plays among the foliage of one of the many female figures of Donnafugata. A woman – olive tree, symbol of serenity and well-being.
From the Arabic term “Son of the Wind” because the wind sweeps constantly around the grape clusters on Pantelleria. And the island’s winds bring with them a profusion of fragrances so powerful that you can touch them. An author label telling the love, the care and the effort of heroic viticulture on an island unique and fascinating. A fresh and enchanting portrait that reveals its essence.
From the Arabic “Son of the Wind” because the wind blows constantly among the clusters on Pantelleria. A special label has been dedicated to the limited edition, that draws on the narrative thread of the classic label, reinterpreting and enhancing it. The love, care and effort of heroic viticulture are illuminated by golden rays, in a sweet and elegant portrait. Ben Ryé 2008, a special edition of Passito di Pantelleria Donnafugata, on which Giacomo Rallo is proud to put his signature.
From the Arabic term “The Great,” this is the name Donnafugata chose for its Moscato di Pantelleria, for its broad and noble perfumes. The label speaks the language of the island, expressing the colors, the freshness and the aromatic richness of Zibibbo. A label evoking the heroic soul of the viticulture of an island battered by wind and waves.
“From the disheveled tresses the color of the sun, seawater flowed over the green, wide-open eyes.” Thus Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa describes Lighea, the bewitching siren and principal figure in his novel. She has inspired the creation of a complex and innovative wine and an equally original label. “It was not easy to print this label”, Gabriella (founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo) recalled, “and preserve the thousand shadings of colors of Pantelleria Island, painted in the original drawing.”
Olive cultivation on Sicily boasts a millenary tradition. In the striking landscape twisted trunks, centuries old and still productive, stand among young olive trees. The Donnafugata oil was born here, among timeless scents and fragrances, while the wind plays among the foliage of one of the many female figures created by the winery. A woman – olive tree, symbol of serenity and well-being.
Bell’Assai is a girl with personality who offers to the sweet Sicilian breeze the fruits of the vineyards and the scents of the countryside. She represents the spirit of those enterprising families with the love for beauty which have always been animating the territory of Vittoria. An artistic label with which Donnafugata wants to celebrate the love for the beautiful.
A label with intense colors that speak of red plums and lavender. A woman, Contesa dei Venti, which investigates the distance, letting herself be caressed and playing sweetly with the wind. The name of this wine takes its cue from the pleasant breeze that is always present in the Vittoria area and blows among the Nero d’Avola grapes at night as during the day. A light wind that comes from the dialogue between the sea and the Hyblaean mountains.
Floramundi is a fantastic figure of a woman who is giving the gift of wonderful interlacements of flowers and fruits with velvety tones. It is a dialogue between two souls, the elegant and sophisticated one of Floral Liberty, of which Vittoria is rich in testimonies, and the fascinating and suggestive one of the tradition of the Pupi Siciliani (Sicilian Puppets). A dialogue between Nero d’Avola and Frappato to listen to with pleasure. A refined artistic label for a prestigious denomination: Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.
Olive cultivation on Sicily boasts a millenary tradition. In the striking landscape twisted trunks, centuries old and still productive, stand among young olive trees. The Donnafugata oil was born here, among timeless scents and fragrances, while the wind plays among the foliage of one of the many female figures created by the winery. A woman – olive tree, symbol of serenity and well-being.
Donnafugata is “projected” towards the future, like an object launched into space, attracted by invisible gravities. Illustrator Stefano Vitale captures this perpetual motion perfectly in the latest label of Fragore that represents the volcano’s roar. Donnafugata continues its journey towards the most remote corners of Sicily: east to Vittoria and then up to the highest point on the island, on the Etna volcano.
The protagonist of this label, designed by the illustrator Stefano Vitale, is brimming with charm and mystery. A volcano-goddess with an aristocratic face, adorned with precious jewels: flowers and fruits that reflect the prestige of this select area. The label also depicts the medieval village of Castiglione di Sicilia and its vineyards interspersed with volcanic ashes.
A volcano-goddess stands out on the label. Its intense colors, reds, yellows, iridescent blacks, are those of the highest active volcano in Europe. An ancient, powerful and feminine divinity: “the Mountain” as Etna is called by the locals. “Sul Vulcano” is a declaration of love: a pure, fragrant and elegant wine, which lets you breathe in the energy of this unique place lying in the center of the Mediterranean.
Etna is a Vulcan Goddess, daughter of Uranus and Gaea, divine fruit of the fusion between sky and earth: the flaming hair in the clouds and the roots in the depths of the earth. Her complexity has always inspired poets and artists, such as the illustrator Stefano Vitale who in this sketch interprets the myth of the Goddess Vulcan to whom, in ancient times, libations of wine and fragrant herbs were offered. Today as then, we dedicate to the Goddess a fragrant wine, with a refined floral bouquet.
A volcano-goddess stands out on the label of Donnafugata’s “Sul Vulcano” Etna White. Its intense colors, reds, yellows, iridescent blacks, are those of the highest active volcano in Europe. An ancient, powerful and feminine divinity: “the Mountain” as Etna is called by the locals. “Sul Vulcano” is a declaration of love: a pure and lively wine, with a distinct mineral taste, a wine that allows you to breathe in the energy of this unique place lying in the center of the Mediterranean.
The mane of a volcano goddess stands out on the label. Its delicate colors represent the smoking nuances on the mouth of the highest active volcano in Europe. An ancient, powerful and feminine deity: “the Mountain” as Etna is called by the locals. “Sul Vulcano” is a declaration of love: a pure wine, fragrant and elegant, that lets you breathe the energy of this unique place located in the center of the Mediterranean.
Olive cultivation on Sicily boasts a millenary tradition. In the striking landscape twisted trunks, centuries old and still productive, stand among young olive trees. The Donnafugata oil was born here, among timeless scents and fragrances, while the wind plays among the foliage of one of the many female figures created by the winery. A woman – olive tree, symbol of serenity and well-being.
Every year on August 10th, on the occasion of Calici di Stelle, we open our wineries and light up our vineyards to celebrate the relationship between wine and art in search of ever new multisensory impressions.
When Art and Wine become one
Calici di Stelle is the most longed-for summer event promoted by the Wine Tourism Movement. Every year, on the occasion of this event, our vineyards and our wineries become the venue for an immersive experience, with surprising artistic performances: from music, to classical and contemporary dance, to the puppet opera; we have hosted a countless number of artists on stage to celebrate the relationship between man and nature and the magical combination of wine and art.
Donnafugata and the FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the National Trust of Italy) – share a love for beauty and the mission of promoting the value of the Italian landscape and culture. A friendship between Marco Magnifico of the FAI and Giacomo Rallo which dates back to 2005 and which results in the restoration of a Pantelleria garden set among the company’s vineyards, donated to the FAI in 2008. The ethos that is shared by Donnafugata and the FAI clearly shows through in this exchange: the belief that when harmony between man and nature is achieved, all-round beauty springs forth.
A love for literature has led Donnafugata to support the Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Literary Prize for many years, a prize named after the author of the novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). On the occasion of the awarding ceremony, Donnafugata has hosted important guests on its estate, such as the writers Abraham B. Yehoshua, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Claudio Magris and Anita Desai, the actress Claudia Cardinale and the composer, Oscar winner, Nicola Piovani.
For over 20 years Donnafugata has supported the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in the archaeological excavations on the Rocca di Entella, near the Contessa Entellina vineyards. Here the Elymians cultivated vines, as evidenced by the finds of coins with the effigy of a bunch of grapes, uncovered in the ancient city of Entella, later called Anthìlia in Roman times. Since the year 2000, the company has also supported young archaeologists with the “Giuseppe Nenci” Prize, Nenci being a great scholar of the Elymians; the prize is awarded every year for a graduate or doctoral thesis on the history of Ancient Sicily.
