Ab Insula is a collection of emotions experienced by Planeta, which from now on turns into a small, extraordinary catalogue, unlike any other.
Ab Insula

Ab Insula

From the Island

Ab Insula, literally ‘from the Island’, where by island we mean that micro-continent going by the name of Sicily, for three centuries our workplace in agriculture. Since wine has become the heart of our family’s agricultural activities in recent decades, we have explored the island almost inch by inch: Ab Insula is nothing more than a compendium of the most surprising encounters we have had in recent years. Alongside our production, today we are also engaged in the distribution of local products that share first and foremost two common denominators: they draw their uniqueness from beauty and are the result of the work and vision of extraordinary people.

Serra Ferdinandea

Serra Ferdinandea

Serra Ferdinandea is a unique place, overflowing with the energy of reveries.

A vineyard of rare beauty, in the middle of scrubland and woods, at an altitude of 400 - 450 meters. It is on the western edge of the Sicanian Mountains, in the area between Sciacca and Sambuca di Sicilia. It rises not far from the Strait of Sicily, from Monte Kronio (Sciacca) – where probably the most ancient wine in all the West was discovered, dating back 6,000 years ago – and from the Phoenician rock millstone named “Palmento della Risinata ” (Sambuca di Sicily). An area where vines have some of the most ancient, if not the most ancient, roots in the Mediterranean, as these archaeological finds seem to testify.
A vineyard of rare beauty, in the middle of scrubland and woods, at an altitude of 400 - 450 meters. It is on the western edge of the Sicanian Mountains, in the area between Sciacca and Sambuca di Sicilia. It rises not far from the Strait of Sicily, from Monte Kronio (Sciacca) – where probably the most ancient wine in all the West was discovered, dating back 6,000 years ago – and from the Phoenician rock millstone named “Palmento della Risinata ” (Sambuca di Sicily). An area where vines have some of the most ancient, if not the most ancient, roots in the Mediterranean, as these archaeological finds seem to testify. The terrains are the result of the disintegration and alteration of the limestone rocks that are still visible along its edges. It is a unique virgin land, which has not certainly felt the plough for centuries. It is a peculiar fusion of Mediterranean and mountain environment, a complex agricultural and flora-fauna organism where the microbial life and soil organisms in the zone reached by the roots, have never been disturbed. We disturbed them as little as possible while planting the first fifteen hectares of vineyards, ready to become 40 in the next two years. From these extraordinary conditions came the choice of an agricultural management that follows the principles of biodynamics. The picture is completed by the unprecedented equal partnership between France and Sicily, which gave life to the project: an unmistakably Sicilian character with a marked French touch.

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Serra Ferdinandea
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC BIANCO
Info
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC BIANCO
Grillo 50%, Sauvignon Blanc 50%
A blend played on ton - sur ton; the most aromatic of the Sicilian varieties with a great classic of French viticulture. The soils, the altitude and the cultivation method are all aimed at enhancing the aspect of minerality and freshness.
Sambuca di Sicilia (Agrigento).
411 metri s.l.m.
The surface has a dark layer with considerable teeming organic substances, followed by deep layers of limestone mixed with rocks and sand, silt and clay. The terrains are light or dark brown based on the presence of organic substances, and they are resistant to summer drought.
Espalier; guyot pruning (semplice).
According to the criteria of organic farming and the SOStain® protocol; the grapes are harvested by hand in bins that are refrigerated overnight in a cold room until they drop to 12°C; the next morning they are selected by hand on a sorting table and sent whole to a soft press. The free run must obtained is sent to steel vats for two weeks’ cold settling and stirred daily. At the end it is poured into tonneaux, steel and oak barrels for fermentation (25% steels; 60% barrels; 15% barriques and tonneaux). The wine is aged in oak wood for 9 months, of which 50% in large 35.25 hl barrels, and 50% in 5 hl tonneaux.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Serra Ferdinandea Siciali DOC Rosso
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC ROSSO
Info
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC ROSSO
70% Nero d’Avola, 30% Syrah
Two varieties that combine perfectly, combined in the search for an intense red but in which the altitude and the soils allow it to veer decisively towards elegance. Large woods to respect the unmistakable varietal expressions.
Sambuca di Sicilia (Agrigento).
Risinata 220 m.a.s.l.; Monte Cirami 411 m.a.s.l.
Risinata’s terrain is rather evidently, but superficially and partially loamy, and relatively rich in organic substances. Monte Cirami’s surface has a dark layer with considerable teeming organic substances, followed by deep layers of limestone mixed with rocks and sand, silt and clay. The terrains are light or dark brown based on the presence of organic substances, and they are resistant to summer drought.
Espalier; double cordontrained spur pruned.
According to the criteria of organic farming and the SOStain® protocol; these two varieties are hand harvested at different times and processed analogously; the grapes are selected by hand on a sorting table, crushed and sent to a soft press. Then they are fermented, half in 50 hectoliter wood vats and half in 50 hectoliter steel vats. After macerating for four weeks on the skins, aging continues in the same 50 hectoliter vats, in barriques and tonneaux.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Serra Ferdinandea Siciali DOC Rosè
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC ROSÈ
Info
SERRA FERDINANDEA SICILIA DOC ROSÈ
50% Nero d’Avola, 50% Syrah
A blend played on ton - sur ton; the most widespread and adapted of the Sicilian varieties with a great classic of French viticulture, with origins in Provence that inspires the style, the soils, the altitude, the enological technique and the cultivation method are all aimed at enhancing the aspect of minerality and freshness.
Sambuca di Sicilia (Agrigento).
Risinata 220 metri s.l.m.; Monte Cirami 411 metri s.l.m.
In Risinata, a fairly evident but superficial clayey fraction, and relatively rich in organic substances. In Monte Cirami, the surface has a dark layer with considerable teeming organic substances, followed by deep layers of limestone mixed with rocks and sand, silt and clay. The terrains are light or dark brown based on the presence of organic substances, and they are resistant to summer drought.
Espalier; guyot pruning and double cordontrained pruned-spur.
According to the criteria of organic farming and the SOStain® protocol; these two varieties are hand harvested at different times and processed analogously; the grapes are crushed and sent to a soft press which extracts fractions of must until the right color is attained. The free run must attained is sent to steel vats for cold settling for a few days. The clear liquid is fermented at 15 degrees Celsius. At the end of fermentation, it is aged in steel on the dregs until January when blending occurs.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
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Castello Solicchiata

Castello Solicchiata

A unique project of its kind

Launched in the mid-19th century by the Spitaleri di Muglia family, of noble and extremely ancient lineage. Their name derives in fact from “Hospitaller”, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and then of Malta, crusader barons who settled on Mount Etna to market wine at the end of the 13th century, on their way back from Jerusalem. Enlightened farmers, they boast the primacy of being the first to cultivate vines again on Mount Etna - after the suppression due to the Islamic rule - and of having maintained the agricultural activities through the succession of different dominations and cultures: from the flourishing trade of the High Middle Ages to the renaissance in the 16th century.
Launched in the mid-19th century by the Spitaleri di Muglia family, of noble and extremely ancient lineage. Their name derives in fact from “Hospitaller”, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and then of Malta, crusader barons who settled on Mount Etna to market wine at the end of the 13th century, on their way back from Jerusalem. Enlightened farmers, they boast the primacy of being the first to cultivate vines again on Mount Etna - after the suppression due to the Islamic rule - and of having maintained the agricultural activities through the succession of different dominations and cultures: from the flourishing trade of the High Middle Ages to the renaissance in the 16th century. In 1855, Baron Felice Spitaleri - the youngest senator of the Kingdom of Italy, one of the founders of Italy’s winegrowing resurgence - conceived a vision as daring as it was intriguing: to build a French-style chateau on Mount Etna, with hundreds of terraces carved into the lava rock and an avant-guard production model. The experimentation of the French allochthonous varietals was entrusted to the most renowned geo-botanist and ampelographer of the time: Father Francesco Tornabene, a member of the famous Scuola Catanese and founder of Catania’s Botanical Garden. The architectural project was supervised by Andrea Scala, architect of Catania’s Bellini Theater, who was inspired by the boxes of Italian theaters to design the over 300 hectares of terraced vineyards. Solicchiata thus became the place of choice for the cultivation of famous non-native grape varietals and the production of large, elegant and unique bottles, capable of standing alongside the international wines, grabbing the spotlight at the major wine competitions of the time. Solicchiata wines won the First Prize at the London Exhibition in 1888, the Great Honour Diploma and Gold Medal in Palermo in 1889, Vienna 1890, Berlin 1892, Brussels 1893, and Milan 1894. Solicchiato became the first official supplier for the Royal Court of Italy, remaining the most awarded Italian wine at international competitions throughout the 19th century. The estate, almost inaccessible to visitors (in respect of the extraordinary nature of the site and of the discretion of the Spitaleri di Muglia family), is part of 60 hectares of vineyards, on an overall cultivated land of over 300 terraced hectares. Solicchiata is the largest Greek sapling vineyard in the world carved in the rock, planted with 70% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder with minor Bordeaux varieties; part of the extraordinary heritage of the castle is Feudo Boschetto, cultivated entirely with Pinot Noir with some plants dating back to the original 19th century planting. The catalogue consists of 6 labels – 3 based on Cabernet Franc and 3 Pinot Noirs in purity. Only French varietals, as was the will of the founder since mid-19th century.

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Castello Solicchiata Sicilia IGT
CASTELLO SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
Info
CASTELLO SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
80% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot.
“The first bottle of Solicchiata 1858, then Castello Solicchiata. Still today, the most awarded Italian wine at the international and universal competitions of the 19th century, which changed Italian enology and narrated, by itself, the birth and history of the best Italian wines. In the background the honors awarded: nine first Honour Diplomas, seven Gold Medals and two Silver Cups from the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce and at the Exhibitions and Competitions in London, Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, Milan, Rome, Palermo, Catania.”(Arnaldo Spitaleri)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
800 m s.l.m.
Volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
Terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and 4/5 years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Secondo di Castello di Solicchiata
SECONDO DI CASTELLO SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
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SECONDO DI CASTELLO SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
80% Cabernet Franc 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Merlot
“We produce this wine inspired by the ancient blend of wines from Bordeaux and using varietals present on the estate for more than 150 years. It was in fact Baron Felice Spitaleri himself, my ancestor and founder of the winery, who first experimented and planted these grapes following his passion for Bordeaux vines developed during his long stay in France.” (Arnaldo Spitaleri)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
800 m s.l.m.
Volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
Terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and 4/5 years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Solicchiata Sicilia IGT
SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
Info
SOLICCHIATA SICILIA IGT
60% Cabernet Franc 20% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot.
“Blind tasting, I would have identified the vine, Pinot Noir, and thought of one of the best crus of Burgundy, for the immensity of the contents and its roundness, unknown in any other part of the terrestrial globe. But no, in this wine you feel a greater and more different complexity. A new boldness and pride, and power, even to the nose, of undergrowth, but you perceive also rapid and - not punitive - igneous hints.” (Arnaldo Spitaleri)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
800 m s.l.m.
Volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
Terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and three years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Dagala Del Barone
DAGALA DEL BARONE SICILIA IGT
Info
DAGALA DEL BARONE SICILIA IGT
100% Pinot Nero.
“The passion for the noble French vines of Baron Felice Spitaleri, my ancestor and founder of the winery, inspired us to bring back this wine. In fact, Felice was the first to plant these grape varietals on the estate in the mid-19th century and the incredible complexity obtained is the result of the adaptation of such vines to a truly unique volcanic terroir.” (Arnaldo Spitaleri)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
1000 / 1200 m s.l.m.
volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and three years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Boschetto Rosso
BOSCHETTO ROSSO SICILIA IGT
Info
BOSCHETTO ROSSO SICILIA IGT
100% Pinot Nero
“Blind tasting, I would have identified the vine, Pinot Noir, and thought of one of the best crus of Burgundy, for the immensity of the contents and its roundness, unknown in any other part of the terrestrial globe. But no, in this wine you feel a greater and more different complexity. A new boldness and pride, and power, even to the nose, of undergrowth, but you perceive also rapid and - not punitive - igneous hints.” (Luigi Veronelli)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
1000 / 1200 m s.l.m.
Volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
Terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and three years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
SANT’ELIA SICILIA IGT
Info
SANT’ELIA SICILIA IGT
100% Pinot Nero.
“The baron continued to have a passion for the difficult and demanding Pinot Noir, trying and trying again, year after year, with the grapes of several vineyards both in white vinification for champagne and in red for the production of a dry red wine. In 1886 from an over thirty-year-old vineyard of Pinot Noir, dating back to the original planting in 1850, he selected the first harvest of Sant’Elia at an altitude of 1,200 metres.” (Arnaldo Spitaleri)
Southwestern slopes of the Etna volcano.
1000 / 1200 m s.l.m.
Volcanic soil resulting from Mount Etna lava flows.
Terraced sapling vineyards.
Harvest by hand. Vinification in truncated conical oak vats, followed by two years of maturing in French oak barriques (Allier and Tronçais) and three years in the bottle.
https://www.ab-insula.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AB-INSULA_CATALOGO_ING.pdf
Chiudi

DISTRICT OF VINEYARD:

ALTITUDE:

TYPE OF SOIL:

TRAYNING SYSTEM:

TECHNICAL NOTES:

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