A blend of Chardonnay and Ansonica trained in the counter-espalier system and pruned in spurred cordon. Average planting density, 5,000 vines per hectare (2,024 an acre); production of about 4.0 tons per hectare (1.62 tons an acre). Soil of medium consistency, tending to clay.

The Chardonnay is harvested at night in August and the Ansonica is picked in September. They are vinified separately. The must, obtained by soft pressing, is fermented at controlled temperatures and is matured “sur lies” for 4-6 months, half in small cement tanks and half in French oak barriques. Aged in bottle for at least 12 months before its release.

Donnafugata grew out of the Rallo family's commitment to Sicily, always believing in the extraordinary enological potential of the land. With 150 years of tradition in producing premium wines, wine producers Giacomo Rallo and his wife, Gabriella, launched a new production project in 1983 and called it Donnafugata. The name Donnafugata, literally “woman in flight,” refers to the history of the Habsburg queen Maria Carolina who was the consort of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. In the initial years of the 19th century, she fled Naples and found refuge a few miles from the estate’s vineyards. The history inspired the effigy of the head of a woman with her hair tossed by the wind that dominates the label of every bottle of Donnafugata.

At Donnafugata, the quality and treatment of the environment is considered to be just as important in the production of wine as other factors such as the soil, the climate, the grape variety, and cultivation techniques. For this reason, Donnafugata is one of the first wineries in Italy to adopt the choice of photovoltaic technology for the production of electric energy, taking advantage of solar rays; a clean and renewable source of energy.

The Donnafugata wines are produced at three distinct grape-growing sites in western Sicily: the historic cellars in Marsala, built in 1851; the cellar at Contessa Entellina, where the company has 642 acres of vineyards planted to Ansonica, Catarratto, Nero d’Avola, Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah; and the cellar on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where Donnafugata cultivates 104 acres of Zibibbo vineyards. To ensure the production of the highest quality wine, the winery employs the most modern and environmentally responsible viticultural practices in the vineyard.

A pronounced personality is the distinctive trait of all of the Donnafugata wines, beginning with their sensory characteristics and ending with their elaborate labels. Donnafugata is renowned for their use of native Sicilian and international varietals, perfectly balancing tradition and innovation in a quest for quality wines.