Benanti
Native grapes, old vines, and a volcano for a backyard.
Etna, Sicily · Italy
About the Estate
A family estate at the foot of Monte Serra on Etna, working with Sicily's native Carricante and Nerello Mascalese since 1988, with century-old vines behind the house and a nineteenth-century palmento on site.
Giuseppe Benanti founded the estate in 1988 and built it entirely on the island's own grapes, a choice that ran against where most growers were looking at the time. He handed the winery to his sons Antonio and Salvino in 2012, though the family's winemaking in Viagrande goes back to the late 1800s. Everything rests on three native varieties: Carricante for the whites, Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the reds, grown across separate contrade on different faces of the volcano. Rinazzo sits on the eastern slope at Milo and gives Pietra Marina. Dafara Galluzzo faces north above Rovittello, and Monte Serra looks southeast over Viagrande, both holding small pre-phylloxera parcels. The estate itself stands at the foot of the Monte Serra cone, a nineteenth-century property twenty minutes from Catania, with centenary Nerello vines on the slope behind it and the old palmento still standing.
The old cellar is now a painting room, hung with oil portraits. Hard to top a wine tasting inside a gallery.
Curated Experiences
What a journey here looks like.
Monte Serra Visit & Tasting
A walk up Monte Serra to see and touch the vines, then the old palmento where the estate's winemaking history is laid out, the former cellar that is now a painting room, and the oak barrel room where the reds age. It closes with an in-depth tasting of the range alongside a curated choice of local delicacies, led by sommeliers trained through WSET and the Italian sommelier associations.
Gourmet Lunch by the Vineyards
Lunch cooked by two chefs who've been around some of Italy's best kitchens: Enrico Rinaldi and Gianluca Sottile, one from Etna and one from the Langhe. Enjoyed alongside the estate's pool area overlooking the Monte Serra vineyards, open to a small group of guests.
Private Dinners & Celebrations
The Sala dei Quadri and the adjoining Palmento Etneo take convivial dinners, while the Sala del Cavaliere is the smaller and more private room. Menus are built around the wines with the chefs, from a sunset aperitif in the vineyard to a gala dinner.
Ready to plan?
Every itinerary is designed from scratch around your pace, your palate, and your style. Tell us about your plans and we will take it from there.
Start Planning