Sicily’s climate is dry Mediterranean, with mild winters and long, hot summers. Stefano Girelli is a firm advocate for organic and sustainable practices and the low rainfall on Sicily is ideal for farming the Cortese vineyards organically. The estate grows indigenous Sicilian grape varieties, including the white grape Catarratto Lucido and the black grapes Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese.

In the winery, Stefano Chioccioli crafts minimum intervention wines using a bend of modern technology and traditional techniques, such as terracotta fermenters, to encourage every nuance of terroir to shine in the wines.