A family-run Italian winery

GULINO 1793

A family tradition, a solid link with the territory, an authentic history of rural life, sunny landscapes, work in the vineyards, wines that smell of myth and history.

Nestled in a verdant expanse, our winery stands as an old farmhouse, its presence as timeless as the surrounding landscape. The sea breeze blows through the neat rows of vines, caresses the lush foliage of the centuries-old olive trees, swirls through the leaves of the almond trees and brushes the freshly cut grass of the garden: imagine our winery as a small oasis of nature and landscape, located in the ancient marine district of Fanusa, just a short distance from the Ionian coast. Between the sea and the city. Only a few kilometers separate us from Siracusa, the pearl of eastern Sicily, capital of Val di Noto.

I leave the Palmento with its cellar
and the land cultivated for Moscato [...]

Pompeo Picherali

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Cantine Gulino, an ancient and deep bond with the land

A family history that begins in a small shop among the narrow alleys of Ortigia, the historic center of the city. There were the medieval neighborhoods towards the sea, the streets of artisans, the activities of coopers and winemakers and our ancestors, already in the 1600s, sold wine. In 1793, according to the deed of sale of the land in Contrada Fanusa, the descendants also bought the farmhouse that stood on the land and the ancient stone millstone, which belonged to the Syracuse architect Pompeo Picherali, famous for the reconstruction of the city after the earthquake of 1693 that devastated the Val di Noto.
“Accatta lu palmentu unni sta la vigna” (buy the millstone near the vineyard), an old Sicilian proverb, is still valid today: our historic family winery, one of the oldest in Sicily, still stands here

Native grapes varieties

Albanello, Moscato of Siracusa, Nero d'Avola

A land naturally suited to viticulture, laboriously cultivated by generations of wine growers, traditionally dedicated to Moscato di Siracusa since at least the 17th century. The ancient white Moscato, which found an easy home here on these soils of friable limestone mixed with sand, rich in marine sediments and capable of draining water, from the time of the arrival of the Greek founders of Siracusa. The tradition of Moscato continues today, along with that of Syracuse Albanello and Nero d’Avola, historical vines of our territory, which we have recovered and are now promoting as respected representatives of Sicilian and Italian viticulture.

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

Il recupero e la valorizzazione dei vitigni storici siracusani

When phylloxera arrived in Europe in the mid-1800s, it devastated hectares upon hectares of vineyards. At that time, 1,400 hectares of vines were planted in the Aretuse area. The phylloxera epidemic destroyed many vineyards in Sicily and also hit the Siracusa wine industry, affecting the Moscato vineyards in the Fanusa district. The recovery was long, slow and difficult. In 1995, after many experiences and a lot of perseverance, we were able to replant Moscato di Siracusa and Nero d’Avola, restoring the tradition and renovating the old farmhouse which, together with the Palmento, the internal rooms now used for wine tasting and the garden, represents a piece of the great historical and cultural heritage of the city of Siracusa.

THE VINEYARDS

The historical vines of Siracusa, the Sicilian and international vines.
Fifteen hectares of vineyards between Siracusa, Pachino and Ispica.

ALBANELLO

Albanello is a historical and ancient white grape variety, cultivated in the provinces of Siracusa and Ragusa. Mysterious and legendary because little is known about its origins, in 1879 the oenologist Giovanni Briosi wrote about this vine that, although it was not very well known in the trade, especially abroad, “it could be used to produce the best dry wine in all of Sicily”.

MOSCATO DI SIRACUSA

Moscato bianco, also known as Moscato di Siracusa, is considered one of the oldest grape varieties in Italy, founder of the Moscati family and of some Malvasia varieties. The scholar Saverio Landolina Nava traced its origins to the Biblina grape, which grew on the Biblini hills in Tracia and was brought to Siracusa by the Greeks when they arrived in Sicily and founded the city. A mythical Argivian king named Pollis made a wine from it, the Pollio Siracusano, which is believed to be the ancestor of Moscato di Siracusa, today considered the oldest wine in Europe.

NERO D'AVOLA

Nero d’Avola is a grape variety also known as Calabrese, a mistranslation of the dialect expression “Calaulisi”, derived from the two terms “Calea” (grape) and “Aulisi”, indicating its origin from the small town in the province of Siracusa, Avola. It is an autochthonous Sicilian grape variety and is now considered the prince of Sicilian viticulture.

CHARDONNAY

Native to the French regions of Burgundy and Champagne, it is one of the most widespread white grape varieties in the world, but its historical origins are confused and uncertain. It is said to come from the East, that its roots lie in the clay soils of the hills around Jerusalem, that it was the Crusaders returning from the Middle East in the Middle Ages who brought back a wine called “Porte de Dieu”, a translation of the Hebrew “Shahar Adonay” (Door of God), because Jerusalem was the city where every door led to the Temple of God. In reality, Chardonnay is a spontaneous cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc and the first to cultivate it, between the 8th and 10th centuries AD, were the monks of the Abbey of Pontigny.

FIANO

Fiano is one of the best Italian white grapes. Cultivated mainly in the Avellino area, it is widespread in Puglia and recently also in Sicily.

INSOLIA

An Italian white grape variety, it is called Ansonica, although in Sicily it is known as Insolia or Inzolia. It is considered one of the oldest native Sicilian vines, although some claim it originated in France and spread to Sicily during the Norman period. It is also found in Lazio and Toscana, especially on the island of Elba.

SYRAH

The origin of this red grape vine is controversial: it is thought to have come from the Persian city of Shyraz and then arrived in our country via Syracuse. According to other sources, it originated in the city of Siracusa. The most widespread opinion about its roots is that it originated in France, in the Rhone Valley.