Gabrio Bini Serragghia Bianco 2023

Gabrio Bini is a renowned natural wine producer who transitioned from his career as an architect in Milan to winemaking on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, Sicily. He and his wife Geneviève relocated to the island in 1995, spending a decade researching winemaking before producing his first harvest in 2005.

Bini's estate, Azienda Agricola Serragghia, encompasses seven hectares of vineyards situated at 300 to 400 meters above sea level. The winery practices biodynamic farming, with grapes hand-harvested from ancient vines, some exceeding 100 years of age. Working alongside his wife and son Giotto, Bini has established himself as a cult figure in the natural wine community.

The winemaker specializes in indigenous Sicilian grape varieties, primarily Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria), along with Pignatello and Catarratto. His approach to viticulture emphasizes minimal intervention, utilizing only hand labor and horse-drawn equipment in the vineyards, with zero chemical applications.

Bini's distinctive winemaking technique involves spontaneous fermentation in terracotta amphorae that are partially buried underground to maintain optimal cool temperatures during the fermentation process. All wines are bottled unfiltered with no added sulfites, allowing for authentic expressions of the volcanic terroir.

The producer's portfolio includes several acclaimed wines. The Serragghia Fanino, a blend of Catarratto and Pignatello, showcases the unique characteristics of Pantelleria's volcanic soils. His Heritage Zibibbo demonstrates extended skin contact, producing complex orange wines with distinctive minerality.

Bini's wines are celebrated for their vibrant acidity, complex flavor profiles, and natural characteristics that reflect the island's unique terroir. The high-altitude Serragghia vineyard benefits from ocean breezes, helping grapes maintain freshness despite Pantelleria's hot Mediterranean climate.

With production limited to just a few thousand bottles annually, Gabrio Bini's wines have achieved cult status among natural wine enthusiasts worldwide, representing some of Sicily's most sought-after and distinctive bottlings.

Sicily, the Mediterranean's largest island, ranks as Italy's third-largest wine-producing region after Veneto and Tuscany. Located across the Strait of Messina from mainland Italy and closer to Tunisia than to Rome, this autonomous region boasts over 2,500 years of winemaking history dating back to Greek colonization in the 8th century BCE. The island's strategic position has attracted numerous civilizations—Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish—each contributing to Sicily's rich viticultural heritage.

Sicily's diverse geography creates numerous microclimates ideal for viticulture. Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano at 10,990 feet, dominates the eastern landscape, where volcanic soils rich in minerals produce some of Italy's most distinctive wines. The Mediterranean climate delivers hot, dry summers and mild winters, moderated by coastal breezes that maintain freshness in the wines. Soil compositions vary significantly across regions: volcanic ash and basalt around Etna, limestone and clay in western Sicily, and sandy calcareous soils in the south.

Sicily's native grape varieties define its wine identity. For red wines, Nero d'Avola produces full-bodied wines with dark fruit flavors and balanced tannins, while Nerello Mascalese from Mount Etna creates elegant, structured wines with high acidity and minerality. Frappato offers lighter, floral expressions and forms the basis of Sicily's only DOCG wine, Cerasuolo di Vittoria. White varieties include Catarratto, the most planted grape on the island, Grillo, Carricante from Etna's volcanic slopes, and Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria), used for sweet passito wines on Pantelleria.

Mount Etna DOC has gained international recognition for producing mineral-driven red and white wines from volcanic terroir. Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, established in 2005, blends Nero d'Avola and Frappato. The fortified wine Marsala remains an iconic Sicilian product, while Pantelleria produces renowned sweet wines from sun-dried Zibibbo grapes.

Sicily has witnessed significant quality evolution over the past three decades, with innovative producers emphasizing organic and biodynamic farming. Pioneers like COS winery revolutionized Sicilian winemaking by introducing amphora aging and minimal intervention techniques. Today's natural wine scene showcases the island's diversity through producers like Arianna Occhipinti, Alessandro Viola, and Cantina Marilina.