Manenti
Purchase Manenti Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Only in the last 20 years has there been a steady return to vine growing in the Cerasuolo area and Gugliemo Manenti belongs to this new generation of winemakers. Gugliemo and his wife, Marita, personally tend to the four hectares of vineyards they purchased in 2005. They make three wines: Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Frappato, and a Nero d’Avola. Their total average annual production is about 10,000 bottles.tever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Located in the historical district of Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa, Manenti practices biological/ sustainable farming with minimal intervention in the vineyard. They only grow Nero d’Avola and Frappato, the native grapes of the area, to best express the Cerasuolo terroir.
The vines are located in the contrada or cru (neighborhood) Bastonaca, between Vittoria, Acate, and Comiso, all within the province of Ragusa where soils are calcareous clay and rich in iron. The climate is warm Mediterranean- cool and drying breezes from the sea, intense sunlight during the day, but significant temperature enough drops at night, which help preserve the grapes’ acidity and unique flavor profile.
The vineyards are planted in Sicily’s traditional bush vine system (Albarello), with 6000 vines per hectare. This is rather dense planting and is achieved only by manual maintenance and harvest. This intensive planting method naturally curbs the vines’ production and encourages quality grapes over quantity. The age of the vines vary from 20 to 40 years and the sandy-clay, iron rich soil allows the roots to grow deep so no irrigation is ever needed.
Gugliemo has adopted the practice of I Vignieri (as seen on his bottles), spearheaded by the enologist Salvo Foti. This philosophy of grape growing and winemaking is built on traditions of the past: bush (head trained) vines (albarello), exclusive use of native grapes, manual labor, respect of the terrain and the natural cycles of flora and fauna, and minimal or no chemical usage.
Soil in Manenti vineyards in Vittoria
Look how red (that’s the iron content) and sandy!
The hardest work is in the vineyards. The goal is to produce “uva sana” (“healthy grapes”), without chemicals and to be present for all phases of vine growth. If you grow good, healthy grapes, your work in the cellar to produce quality wine should be minimal. This approach surely shows in Gugliemo’s wines. They are unfiltered and offer a more earth driven, robust, approach to Frappato, which can often be light, delicate, and intensely floral. With such a hands-on approach and small production, the winemaker’s personality inevitably shines through. In Gugliemo’s case, the wines are honest, sincere and endearingly approachable—they are wines you can’t help but share and connect over with others.
