Organic Wine

The Aitala Company cultivates and tends to their vineyards respecting the distinct Trefiletti family tradition. Still today, the vineyards are cultivated with the same devotion and commitment of its founding forefather, Carmine Trefiletti. In the early last century, he returned home after a brief experience as an immigrant in America to bestow his best resources and physical strength toward the cultivation of several hectares of grape plantations in the Castiglione di Sicilia territory. The final outcome was a wine with particular alcoholic properties (vino da taglio). These wines would then be taken to the nearby seaport of Riposto and embarked toward distant destinations.

Currently, the operative vineyards have been subdivided into four distinct plots:
-Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania) - Contrada (wide street) Soliccchiata
-Linguaglossa (Catania) - Martinelli and C.da Vignazza
-Piedimonte Etneo (Catania) - C.da Terremorte
The altitude ranges from 500 to 750 m above sea level.

Recently, the vineyards have been refined and enhanced in order to further improve the quality standards. A high number, around 6000, of grapevine stumps has been kept in each hectare. The farming system adopted consists of a single cordon with ¾ rods. A particular attention has been paid toward the selection of the grape clones, which mainly derive from the Company’s ancient vines in C.da Canne of the Castiglione di Sicilia territory.
The present-day grapevines are native to the Sicilian territory, concurring with the collaborative agreement of wine production of DOC Etna. The grapevines in particular are:
red berry:
Nerello Mascalese
Nerello Cappuccio
white berry:
Carricante
Catarratto
Inzolia
Mannella bianca
In C.da Vignazza, at the foot of the fertile volcanic lands there is a tiny cone of pumice-stone upon which the Syrah has been introduced with amazing results.
The company lies in the northern slope of Mount Etna, where the soils are of volcanic origin which derive from the disintegration of the lava heaps, from ashes and lava fragments (lapilli). Usually, these fertile terrains have developed on-site (autochthonous), or they have been carried by the rainwater which has created wide, sandy black, deep and very fertile extents in some flat areas upon the slopes of the volcano.
The climate in the northern slope of Mount Etna is characterized by mild temperatures, due to the influence of the mountain relieves in the north (Caronie and Nebrodi). This environment is exposed to the prevailing altimetry that also fosters convenient imbalances in the temperature.
Thus, the elicited wine has great personality and quality, denominated as a "wine of fire," which inevitably represents at best the strength and charm of a unique territory.
In deference to Etna’s environment and consumers’ health, Aitala vineyards are cultivated with the methods of organic farming and inspected by ECOCERT Italy, as provided by the Reg.EC 2092/91.