Best Wines of Donnafugata Winery

Updated as of July 21, 2026.

For anyone buying wine in Italy, the name Donnafugata will probably be familiar. For anyone buying wine in Italian supermarkets, it certainly will be. This Sicilian producer, thanks to its size and the variety of its offer, has a solid presence even in large-scale retail. In short, we’re not talking about an outsider.

Donnafugata, the Winery (or Wineries)

The Donnafugata winery is owned by the Rallo family, who began their winemaking adventure in Marsala at the end of the 19th century. But it was only in the 1980s that Giacomo Rallo, heir to the family company, planted vineyards in Contessa Entellina (90 km from Marsala – as you’ll see, this company is much more Sicilian than merely local) and renamed the company Donnafugata, a term inspired by Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard.

From there, over the decades, the Rallo family expanded to every part of Sicily that was fashionable at the time. In 1989 it was the turn of Pantelleria, birthplace of the incredible Ben Ryé, an unforgettable passito made with Zibibbo grapes grown as alberello pantesco. Here the Rallo family managed to make an excellent niche product mainstream.

Then, in the 2010s, came the inevitable Etna, with the purchase of vineyards on the northern slope. Can we say it? Etna fatigue. Great wines, sure, but the amount of attention and excitement around this area is so inflated that one suspects the true ground these wines stand on is trendiness more than volcanic soil.

In addition to the volcano’s vineyards, in the same period Donnafugata acquired land in the Vittoria area, homeland of Frappato and Cerasuolo. In short, a pan-Sicilian enterprise that has put down roots in all the prestigious wine areas of this island. This way Donnafugata has succeeded in making itself synonymous with Sicilian wine and perhaps even in making Sicilian wine itself more recognizable.

It must be said that this is a highly professional operation. I bought a case of their wines, and the capsule of a bottle of Ben Ryé was broken. I sent them a photo of the damaged product to understand what happened, and they called me back with an almost forensic report of what could have occurred. Although the wine is probably fine (I haven’t opened the bottle yet), they graciously offered a refund.

Viticulture is neither biodynamic nor following a particular trend or philosophy. And that’s perfectly fine – you can’t apply the same rules to such different terroirs. Moreover, from my experience, their wines are consistent with their price point.

This is the guarantee big producers offer (like, for example, Gerard Bertrand, the Donnafugata of Languedoc, if you will): you won’t make amazing bargains, but you get what you pay for. A bit of poetry is lost, but reliability is gained. As often happens, the wines range from entry-level (where the low price reflects the quality) to the more ambitious bottles, which rarely exceed 50 euros.

Here are the most representative wines from the estate:

Outside the bottle, Donnafugata is very fashion-oriented. Collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana (pan-Sicilianism, indeed) and Netflix. Their marketing positioning can be summed up as: “I want to be the wine bought by those who watched White Lotus.” Fair enough, they did their math — but I personally dislike White Lotus.

So, those who love Donnafugata wines look for good quality and reliability. Perhaps also a certain idea of Sicilianness. And certainly, the sustainable practices of the winery deserve praise. On the other hand, this is a major commercial operation, in every sense, and each person has to decide how much of this polish they are willing (or happy) to accept in their wines.

Donnafugata Wines

Quick overview of the Donnafugata wines I’ve tasted.

Lower Price Range

Sicilia Damarino 2024 – Donnafugata

Tasted 29/04/2025
Color: Transparent greenish, barely perceptible.
How it is: A wine that barely exists. Its yellow-green hue is so pale that it seems more like a shadow at the bottom of the glass than a liquid. The nose is subtle but present, evoking green plum, jasmine, and wet grass. Not refined: the vegetal part is very pronounced, almost raw.
On the palate, surprisingly full-bodied, almost as if trying to embrace the dish, but the acidity — which should support it — never arrives. Herbal notes dominate, with a finish reminiscent of a damp, salty meadow.
Conclusion: An incomplete wine that speaks more of solitude than company. Good for a lonely man’s weeknight dinners, and perhaps it asks for no more.
Price at the time of writing on the company website: €10.50.

Mid-Low Price Range

Floramundi 2022 – Donnafugata

Tasted 24/07/2025 with tortelli with sausage sauce
Color: Garnet red with ruby highlights.
How it is: Opens with grace and depth. Smoky notes on the nose, elegant, with hints of cocoa bean, violet, and dried rose. On the palate, Nero d’Avola leads: creamy but not opulent structure, medium-high acidity keeps it lively. Flavors of underripe red cherries, smoke, and silky, almost oily tannins felt more on the lips than the gums. The finish isn’t long but consistent: chocolate pudding notes, a citrus vein, and a salty shadow.
Pairing: Matches the sausage dish precisely.
Conclusion: A wine walking the line between delicacy and indulgence. Always elegant, never brilliant.
Price at the time of writing: €18.

Rosa 2023 – Donnafugata x Dolce & Gabbana

Color: Pale rosé with coppery reflections.
How it is: Packaging is refined. The wine less so. A rosé that merely whispers — blueberries maybe, but faintly. The body is evanescent, the palate barely taut, without lift.
Conclusion: Impeccable aesthetics, forgettable substance. If you’re looking for wine, you’ll only find marketing here.

Sul Vulcano 2021 – Etna Rosso – Donnafugata

Tasted on 01/23/2026 with pasta with grilled vegetables, olives and capers
Colour: Garnet red.
How it is: At a time when reds struggle to surprise me, this wine’s nose made itself heard. It’s not the smokiness of speck, but the ash that so often accompanies Etna wines, the breath of the volcano itself. There’s also violet, strawberry and a touch of Brett that doesn’t bother, if anything it enriches a nose that’s never flat. Acidity is the real protagonist here, broad and taut, driving the sip with the same energy you find in some cold climate Chardonnays. The body is medium full, almost chewy in its softness, while the medium grained tannins sit at the corners of the mouth, present but never shy. On the palate the ash notes return alongside a sensual, spiced plum. Good fruit concentration holds everything together through to a savoury, spicy finish that lasts around twenty seconds, not many layers, but fun. It closes on cassis, black tea and that pulpy character typical of the variety, deep and appealing.
Pairing: With the pasta it held its own, finding enough character in the dish to keep pace.
Conclusion: An Etna Rosso that starts from deep sensations and then builds its aromatics on top.
Price at the time of writing on the winery’s website: 22.50 euros.

I tasted other island wines at Pub Klemo, Vienna.

Mid-High Price Range

Fragore 2020 – Etna Rosso – Donnafugata

How it is: Well-told, well-made wine. Ripe plum, but also sea breeze: balance between flesh and tension. Young, powerful tannins on the sides of the mouth show its energy, while volcanic salinity adds depth.
Conclusion: Something of Nebbiolo, but distinctly volcanic. A red still growing, but already expressive.

High Price Range

Ben Ryé 2022 – Passito di Pantelleria – Donnafugata

How it is: Monumental wine. The nose is a sea of candied fruit, dried figs, dehydrated flowers. In the mouth, viscous flow, sweet but not cloying, with bergamot, tea, and toffee at its core. Acidity is hidden but present, holding it all together. It’s the final salinity that elevates the sip: it guides, sculpts, makes it shine.
Conclusion: Whoever doesn’t love it has no heart. A great passito that speaks more of salt than sugar.

Mille e Una Notte 2020 – Donnafugata

Tasted on 02/17/2026 with fish stew and summer vegetables
Colour: Bright ruby red.
How it is: Bright from the moment it hits the glass. The nose is rich and layered, with almost sharp whiffs of nail polish, old wood, violet and grilled meat, charred rosemary, a savoury edge from the very first breath. It steps off the well trodden path in terms of aromatic range, while balance and roundness of body remain solid pillars that keep it firmly grounded. Full, but with nerve, there’s flesh here, but also energy. Part of that nerve comes from the tannins, long grained and savoury, felt across the whole mouth and especially on the cheeks; the other part comes from the acidity, which here works more as a function than an identity. On the palate it loses its edge and turns riper, sweeter, with an almost spiced plum. A velvety mouth, showing carefully selected, well concentrated fruit, clearly the winery’s flagship red. The medium length, slightly savoury finish invites another sip and carries a sweet character, marzipan and nocino fill a wine where the alcohol is present but perfectly integrated. Everything here feels in its place, and that may be exactly why the wine is excellent but not unforgettable, it’s missing the off note, it feels a touch too tamed.
Pairing: It added depth to the bite, giving it forward momentum.
Conclusion: A light but solid structure, easy to read and to walk through. The flagship red behaves exactly as a flagship red should, everything right, everything in its place. Maybe that’s precisely its limit.
Price at the time of writing on the winery’s website: 69.50 euros.

Ben Ryé 2022 – Passito di Pantelleria – Donnafugata

Tasted on 02/09/2026 with Roman ricotta tart
How it is: A shape shifting wine. The nose is almost deceptive at first, jasmine, rose, a hint of cactus bringing a distant, balsamic dryness. Then the palate switches register entirely, lit up by a cosmic acidity and citrus flavours. The body is dense but never cloying, the kind you fall for instantly. Salted caramel, dates, Earl Grey tea never manage to cover the underlying freshness. The finish is extremely long, grapefruit and dehydrated orange peel, more dates and raisins, with a character more serious than the rest of the sip, maybe that’s how it will age, but today it’s a wild puppy. Salinity runs through the whole sip and explodes in a finish that lasts around thirty seconds.
Pairing: At first the pairing brought out a citrus peel edge that made the wine taste bitter against the sweetness of the dessert. After a few sips though, maybe due to the sheer length of the experience, the match started to click, a trajectory that climbs first and then comes back down.
Conclusion: Compared to the version tasted at an event, at home and with the right dish the Ben Ryé reveals an even longer, more complete arc. A fascinating evolution, from an elegant nose to a palate that nearly explodes. From an almost ethereal floral character that initially fools you, almost theatrically, hinting at a sweet wine “for women”, it moves into a vividness carried by acidity and citrus flavours. An enormous propulsion that then fades, sending the wine down vertically, pulled by the force of gravity.
Price at the time of writing on the winery’s website: 66.50 euros.

Conclusion

In the end these are wines that do exactly what they promise, without rough edges and without too many surprises. The value for money is honest, almost textbook: you pay for what you drink, you drink what you pay for. These are clean products, built to travel across large and varied markets, from the supermarket shelf to an international restaurant’s wine list, and it shows. More than a living representation of the island, they’re its business card: the presentable version, no rough edges, ready for anyone who doesn’t know Sicily yet.

Technically they’re flawless. But that very cleanliness is what takes something away: you don’t hear the drop falling in the zen garden, the imperfection that makes a wine feel alive rather than finished. Still, perfect or not, these bottles are a pleasure to drink.

For other producer reviews, visit the article on Scurek, in Slovenia’s Collio.