Faro is one of Sicily's oldest DOCs and also one of its smallest, with only a handful of producers working its steep coastal hills. Giovanni Scarfone farms just 2.5 hectares here, yet his name is spoken alongside the island's finest.
Backstory
Scarfone's family has cultivated vines in the hills above Messina for more than a century. After studying agricultural science at the University of Bologna, Giovanni returned to Sicily in 2004 to revive the family land, releasing his first commercial Bonavita vintage in 2006. He began with a single hectare and patiently expanded the estate to 2.5 hectares over the following years, never chasing scale.
The Region
Faro, established as a DOC in 1976, sits on the northeastern tip of Sicily, where the island nearly touches the mainland. Bonavita's parcels at Faro Superiore and Curcuraci rise on steep hills overlooking the Strait of Messina, at roughly 250 to 300 meters above sea level, cooled by sea breezes that funnel through the strait.
Vineyards & Farming
The vineyards sit on white soils rich in clay and limestone that stay cool and retain moisture, an asset in the Sicilian heat. Only indigenous grapes are grown: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Nocera. Farming is organic, with no pesticides or additives, only low doses of copper and sulfur against disease, and green manure and legumes to feed the soil. Giovanni works the land by hand with his wife and father, keeping yields deliberately low to concentrate the fruit.
Winemaking
Scarfone holds that terroir accounts for the overwhelming share of a wine's character, so cellar work stays minimal and hands-off. The Faro is aged a minimum of three years in old oak before release, a long elevage that softens the wine's structure while letting its perfume develop.
The Wines
Production is tiny, around 600 cases a year. The flagship Faro blends the three native grapes into a perfumed, ruby-hued red with aromas of cherry and raspberry, often compared to fine Nerello-based wines from Etna. A structured Rosato, made with a short skin maceration, completes the range.
