Valle dell’Acate
In the quiet southeastern corner of Sicily, where the Dirillo River winds through low hills toward the Mediterranean, Valle dell’Acate sits on an ancient Greek archaeological site and is where the Jacono family has cultivated vines for six generations. Their story begins in the late nineteenth century, when the family acquired the historic estate at Bidini, near the town of Acate — complete with its old palmento, the traditional stone winery where grapes were once pressed by gravity alone. That building still stands at the heart of the property, a reminder of how long this land and this family have been in conversation.
Today the estate is guided by Gaetana Jacono, who left a career in pharmacy to carry her family’s legacy forward — the sixth generation, and the first woman, to lead it. Under her stewardship, Valle dell’Acate has become a thoughtful interpreter of Vittoria, home of Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG. With the cooperation of the enologist Carlo Casavecchia, Valle dell’Acate’s Il Frappato di Vittoria DOC was recognized as “the best in Sicily” and praised by wine critics. In January 2013 Gaetana became Brand Ambassador of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG and of the territory of Ragusa.
The estate’s character lies in its mosaic of soils: vineyards spread across distinct contrade, from white sands to red clay and limestone, each lending its own voice. From them come a fragrant, red-fruited Frappato; a Cerasuolo di Vittoria that balances that grace with Nero d’Avola’s warmth; and saline whites from Grillo and Insolia that carry the sea in them.