Cantine Ermes

Cantine Ermes - like a phoenix from the ashes

Cantine Ermes is a winemaking community based in Sicily. The origin of the community is a story of destruction and reconstruction. The vineyards with which the community began stand on ground where once rose places with names like Gibellina, Salaparuta and Poggioreale.

in 1968 a great earthquake shook the Belice Valley in Sicily, destroying entire villages. The Sicilians did not rebuild their houses, but built completely new places a few kilometers away. Old Gibellina, for example, is now an art installation made of concrete blocks in the outlines of the old houses; scattered throughout the valley, one can still find the ruins of individual villages. In the midst of this destruction, some young winemakers decided to make a new start here. in 1998, they founded Cantine Ermes and began growing grapes here. Today Cantine Ermes is one of the largest wine producers in Sicily, with over 2700 members, more than 12500 hectares of vines and 11 wineries. in 2018 they also built a winery in Puglia, the heel of the "Italian boot".

The grape varieties of Cantine Ermes

In the heart of Sicily, with a unique territory characterized by a different microclimate and soils of different geological origins, Cantine Ermes cultivates, with respect for the environment, the most important and recognized autochthonous grape varieties such as

• Nero d'avola
• Grillo
• Catarratto
• Inzolia
• Zibibbo
• Grecanico

as well as some vineyards with Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. The most common cultivation technique is cordon and cordon spur, but in some particularly windy areas, the ancient method of head training is preferred, which protects the plants and their fruit throughout the production cycle.

The terroir of Cantine Ermes

Three typical soil types are found in the Cantine Ermes production area: red soil, black soil and white soil. 

The red soil is mainly found on the west coast of Sicily and consists of sand and stones with traces of iron. Combined with the dry climate, it is wonderfully suited to varieties such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Grillo and Zibibbo.

The black soil is found in the hinterland near Trapani at an altitude of 200-300 meters and is composed of shale and clay. It is very wind resistant to droughts, which allows the vines to be supplied with water for a long time.

The white soil is found in the hills of Belice and is mainly composed of lime, which gives the soil its characteristic color. The altitude ranges from about 400 to 700 meters above sea level. Grape varieties that harmonize well with minerality find the ideal conditions here.

Cantine Ermes is very committed to the protection of the environment and regularly revises its cultivation practices. Thus, high value is placed on economy with water, electricity is self-generated and the consumption of fertilizers is reduced.