Nicolò Grippaldi is a young, biodynamic winegrower in Gagliano Castelferrato, a rock amphitheatre of disarming beauty in the heart of Sicily located 651 meters above sea level in the province of Enna.

His dream began in Florence where he attended the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy. During those years he heard the word biodynamics for the first time. From there destiny changed his life.

After graduating he decided to return to Sicily. In all of the province of Enna there are no vineyards any longer.  After the phylloxera outbreak they were completely uprooted and never replanted. On April 3, 2015 he planted a 3.33 hectare vineyard on the land where his great-grandfather had a small vineyard 100 years ago. It’s a mixture of Nerello Mascalese and Nero d’Avola grapes. 

Nicolo’ is a pioneer of this territory and thanks to it he’s producing a wine that 100% represents its terroir. He does this without any use of chemicals in the vineyard and cellar. He believes in this land and feel that it has enormous potential to produce unique grapes, and most importantly unique wine. The first harvest was in 2017 and the first wine released in 2019.

Goal

His goal, as the only wine producer in the province of Enna is to shed light on an area that is unique and unknown to the world. This is not only from a wine point of view, but also highlighting the uniqueness of the terroir and the historical and natural beauty that surrounds Gagliano Castelferrato.

The vineyard is certified organic and cultivated according to the principles of modern biodynamics with a mixture of blue clay, chalk, sand, quartz & marl soils.

In his own words, it’s not just a vineyard but a complete and complex organism where the vine is born, grows, evolves and lives. Nicolo’ doesn’t manipulate the process of turning grapes into wine. He allows the Earth and the stars to set the natural rhythm.