Com_St_2015_09_15_VisitareDonnafugata-ENG.pdf
Reception is an opening, it is letting someone into one’s home, into oneself. Receiving means getting involved: those who welcome share something of their own, offering it, to the other. It is with this spirit that since the late ’90s Donnafugata has opened its cellars to wine enthusiasts, to share and spread the culture of wine.
Over the years the number of visitors has increased (reaching up to 10,000 people in 2014 with a 30% share of foreigners) as well as the welcoming project at the winery throughout the year and during the events has been constantly renewed, focusing on the education of the wine lovers through a sensory and emotive involvement. A style of hospitality that the visitor can experience all year round at the Historic Cellars in Marsala, the Pantelleria winery, open during the summer months, and during the two annual events of Cantine Aperte in Marsala, and Calici di Stelle at the Donnafugata estate in Contessa Entellina.
Events at Donnafugata
The two annual appointments of Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars), the last Sunday of May in Marsala, and Calici di Stelle (Goblets of Stars), August 10th at the Contessa Entellina estate, have become a must for wine lovers and they record about 2,000 visitors. The leitmotiv of the events is edutainment (educational entertainment): from the grape tasting in the vineyard during Calici di Stelle, a moment usually reserved for agronomists and enologists – the 2015 edition was dedicated to music, dance and wine – to the blind tasting of Cantine Aperte, the aim is to create activities with high sensory involvement through education.
Visit and Tasting
Donnafugata welcomes the curious and enthusiasts throughout the year to make the winery and its wines known through various types of tastings: a tailored approach that aims at satisfying the needs of the ever more sophisticated visitor.
At the Marsala cellar the visitor can choose from 6 different tasting journeys, which vary depending on the number of wines tasted and their possible pairing with typical Sicilian food or delicious specialties of the Mediterranean cuisine. There is also a high demand for the “Degustazioni d’Autore – Signature Tastings” that propose the tasting of historic vintages no longer on the market of wines such as Vigna di Gabri, Chiarandà, Tancredi and Ben Ryé.
On Pantelleria, Donnafugata welcomes visitors during the summer months at the winery which is located in the Khamma district. From this year, in addition to the classic tour of the vineyards with tasting of 3 wines, there are two new experiences that match the wines with the typical cuisine of Pantelleria, such as, for example, Lighea accompanied by potato and caper focaccia or Ben Ryé paired with pasticciotto pantesco.
2015 novelties
The Donnafugata welcoming project is in constant evolution, this year’s two novelties are included in this context.
The first concerns the opening of a web-site completely dedicated to Donnafugata welcoming project. http://visit.donnafugata.it/en-us/ is, in fact, an online space where the user can find all the information about cellar tours and events, as well as tips for exploring the territory of Western Sicily where the company’s cellars are located. The site is completely accessible even from mobile devices, to allow clients to book a tour or get advice on what to see in Marsala and surroundings wherever they are.
The second is the opening of a new multifunctional space: an area dedicated to tastings but also a show room for all Donnafugata labels. A place that wants to be the quintessence of the company’s concept of reception, designed to ensure that our visitors have a memorable tasting experience, but also to allow the clients to buy their favorite wines at the end of the tasting. In fact, more and more visits end with a purchase: the top sellers include Mille e una Notte and Ben Ryé, Donnafugata’s icon wines.
Donnafugata receives in Marsala by appointment from Monday to Saturday. The Pantelleria cellars are open to the public in the summer. You should visit the site http://visit.donnafugata.it/en-us/ from which it is possible to book the visit online.
Upcoming events: Calici di Stelle, August 10, 2015 in Contessa Entellina; Cantine Aperte, May 29, 2016 in Marsala.
Reservations required: [email protected] – tel. +39 0923 724 245 / 724 263
Public Relations:
Baldo M. Palermo [email protected] tel. 0039 0923 7242267
Laura Ellwanger [email protected] te. 0039 0923 724258
