Morgante s.r.l. Società Agricola (Morgante Contrada Racalmare, 92020 Grotte AG, Sicily)
"We were very young and inexpert when we started, but we wanted to see where and how far our wager would lead us, we were aware that being in the deep south of Sicily would not do us any favors. Here the earth is burnt by the sun and the clods are arid and fiery; a land without water where growing grapes is tough and requires great sacrificies. In our process of growth we made important choices such as concentrating on indigenous grape varietals, getting mechanized, gradually transforming everything possible in the production systems, and trying to best utilize new available technologies, which has somehow modified the approach to wine to some degree all over the world.
We’ve worked hard and steadily over the years to build up something and grow as entrepreneurs, trying to smooth over not only the natural difficulties presented every year by this land but also the daily operational challenges due to the small pieces of land spread over a 30 kilometer radius around Grotte, which make up our 200 hectares.
When we started out we were aware of the sacrifices waiting for us, and today we are proud of them because we have been able in a mild way to pursue the hard job of working the land and to interpret the world of wine without losing our heads; thus becoming part of that new generation of Sicilians who didn’t want to emigrate and abandon their origins but sought to square up to life and contribute to improving their own land. The most important thing we have is the customer that regards us very highly and that respects us for the products we offer them every year, and we know that only through them can we continue to be winemakers here in Grotte, in the south of Sicily"
Inspired to text of Andrea Zanfi, Journey among the great wines of Sicily
Interview on Yellow Road with the Carmelo Morgante, co-owner
1 - Tell us a little about your family. Although there are many winemakers in Italy, everyone has their own way.
We, are a family of agriculturists, that have used the knowledge gained over five generations as grape-growers. In 1989, my father, Antonio Morgante, with my brother’s Giovanni and mine enthusiastic support, decided to vinify our grapes. This decision represented the beginning of a strong commitment to achieve the best results with the indigenous grape Nero D’Avola, the only endemic red grape variety of great importance in Sicily, which our family has always grown.
2 - The traditional question for winemakers: What is your favorite wine (red or white)? And why?
2 – I prefer red wines, probably because, we have been used to drink red wines, as Nero d’Avola has always been vinified in red, but I also like white wines.
3 - What is the power of your red - Nero d’Avola?
The power of Nero d’Avola is that it’s a structured wine, it has fruity taste and scents and a remarkable flavour.
4 - And what would you recommend as an appetizer for your rosé (Rosé di Morgante). Where can you try all this?
Our Rosè di Morgante is ideal as an aperitif, enhances raw whitefish, and any kind of Mediterranean salad
5 - Do you prefer (it's important for you) the color of the wine?
The colour of the wine is important as the first impression you have, is from the visual appearance
6 - Your Choice for the Yellow Road of white (yellow) wine? Bianco di Morgante?
We have only one white wine, so obviously yes, we would recommend Bianco di Morgante for Yellow Road.
7 - You can offer the most spectacular view (favorite point) on vineyards or the surrounding landscape. And what is this amazing rock near Grotte?
There are many beautiful views in our area, as we are in a hilly zone, all of them are very special. The rocks near Grotte are archaeological sites, they were graves many centuries ago.
8 - If it's not a secret, what are your plans for the future?
I don’t have any particular plans for the future, only to continue improving the quality of our production
9 - Which white wine producer (from Italy or another country) would you recommend for the Yellow Road?
There are many good whites in the world. I don’t know which to recommend, probably it will be easier to tell you which we don’t recommend
10 - Sicily, like all of Italy, is very, very rich in historical monuments.
You have a lot of land, and not all of it is probably suitable for farming. But I would like some modern cultural projects to have a little more activity of winemakers, because a good art object can become the hallmark of a winery. And what do you think?
11 - Have you thought about developing wine tourism?
Your vineyard is located in a place of amazing beauty. Why don't you try to restore small houses in the vineyards, so that lovers of nature, peace and sun could spend a month or two there. First of all, I think about people in creative profe
ssions: blogger, writer, artist, sculptor
The work of the VINEYARD KEEPER is to create a new product for you (on a different marketing platform): blog, book + presentation, paintings + exhibition, sculpture + installation of the sculpture in the vineyard (or using it for marketing purposes).
(10 – 11) We are not interested in developing wine tourism, as there are many critical points in our area. We love art but we are not attracted in having an art object as hallmark of the winery.
Sergey Evtuhov,
author of the "Yellow Road" project
