The superb Terrelíade estate is on a scenic plateau overlooking Lake Arancio in the municipality of Sambuca di Sicilia, in the province of Agrigento.
The property is in effect an oasis set among sun-scorched valleys dotted with almond and olive groves. Nature here is unforgiving but intriguing and imbues that same spirit into the estate’s elegant wines, made in respectful symbiosis with this territory blessed by sun, sea and vibrant fertility.
Consideration for the environment has always been a top priority, as is obvious from the estate’s vineyard management, which minimises the use of chemicals, or pest control implemented by sexual confusion techniques,
and the photovoltaic or solar panels that supply Terrelíade’s energy, hot water and so on.
The vineyards lie at an elevation of 200 to 350 metres above sea level where the moderately deep soil has a characteristically pale-coloured clay fraction, a moderate limestone content and very few pebbles.
The vines are vertical-trellis trained and either spurred cordon or Guyot-pruned, depending on the variety. Micro-drop irrigation systems with atomised spraying of the leaves come into action at 35 °C. Pruning and thinning are generally carried out manually and state-of-the-art harvesters are used to pick the grapes quickly when they have ripened to perfection.
All these carefully thought-out techniques aim to get the very best out of each cluster of berries.
The cellar, too, boasts up-to-date equipment to preserve and enhance the territorial typicity that the fruit acquires from the soil and climate of one of Sicily’s finest wine zones.
An ancient heritage of winemaking experience combined with modern fermentation technology, steel maturation and cask conditioning in both small and large wood enable Terrelíade to produce both native and international single-variety or blended wines that convey the very special sense of place of this sun-blessed island.
