Italy · Western Sicily & Trapani Coast

Cantine Ermes Soc. Coop Agr.

A large-scale Sicilian cooperative rooted in the Belice Valley's earthquake recovery, farming 3,118 certified organic hectares and producing Nero d'Avola and Glera wines from the vineyards surrounding one of the world's largest land artworks.

The producer

Cantine Ermes was founded in 1998 by growers across the Belice Valley of western Sicily, thirty years after the 1968 earthquake that destroyed Gibellina and several neighbouring towns outright. The cooperative now counts 2,832 member-growers farming approximately 16,764 hectares between the communes of Gibellina and Santa Ninfa. More than 3,118 of those hectares carry European organic certification, a scale that exceeds the total vineyard holdings of most Sicilian producers.

The range runs from Buccia Sicilia, a single-variety Nero d'Avola, to Ca' Nomboli Prosecco DOC Extra Dry, a Glera-based sparkling wine unusual for an inland Sicilian cooperative. The cooperative's member-growers harvest from parcels that border the Orestiadi Estates vineyards surrounding Il Cretto, Alberto Burri's monumental concrete artwork built over the ruins of old Gibellina. The organic programme, the earthquake history, and the land art monument give this address a weight beyond its vineyard numbers.

Known for

Certified organic Nero d'Avola from the Belice Valley, western Sicily

Notable facts

The story

The Concrete Town

On the night of 14 January 1968, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Belice Valley and reduced Gibellina Vecchia and several neighbouring towns to rubble. The old town was never rebuilt. The ruins sat on the hillside for over a decade until, in 1981, the Roman artist Alberto Burri was given the site and a commission. Over eight years, Burri and his team poured white concrete across the footprint of the original streets in a grid of low walls following the old town plan exactly, filling each block to roughly one and a half metres. The finished work, Il Cretto, covers around 80,000 square metres and is among the largest land artworks in the world. Cantine Ermes, the cooperative formed in 1998 by valley growers for recovery, holds custodianship of the Orestiadi Estates vineyards that surround it. Every autumn, member-growers harvest Nero d'Avola from parcels that look out over the white concrete grid.

From the atlas

Cantine Ermes Soc. Coop Agr.

At A Glance

The Producer

Cantine Ermes farms more certified organic vineyard land than most Sicilian producers manage in total. The cooperative, founded in 1998 in the Belice Valley of western Sicily, brings together 2,832 member-growers across approximately 16,764 hectares. Its headquarters sit between the communes of Gibellina and Santa Ninfa, and its range covers both indigenous Sicilian varieties and international grapes.

The scale is real. But the more precise description of Cantine Ermes is this: a cooperative that formed thirty years after the 1968 Belice earthquake as a vehicle for the valley's agricultural recovery, and that still farms the vineyards surrounding one of the largest land artworks in the world.

Place

The Belice Valley runs through the interior of western Sicily, a zone of low hills, clay-limestone soils, and dry Mediterranean summers. The valley sits inland from the Sicilian channel coast, sheltered enough to accumulate heat through the growing season and open enough to wind to slow ripening on exposed slopes. Nero d'Avola, Sicily's most planted and best-known red variety, thrives in this warmth. It delivers deep colour, plum and dark cherry fruit, and firm tannin when farmed on well-drained sites.

The valley is also earthquake country. The 1968 Belice earthquake killed over 200 people, destroyed multiple towns outright, and reshaped the agricultural landscape for decades. Gibellina, one of the worst-affected communes, was rebuilt in a new location several kilometres from the original site. The ruins of Gibellina Vecchia, the old town, remained.

Soil And Site

The Belice Valley vineyards sit on clay-limestone soils typical of western Sicily's interior. These soils retain some moisture through dry summers and slow the vines' water stress, contributing to the full-bodied, deep-coloured character of the red wines. Across 3,118 certified organic hectares, the member-growers farm without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers. The organic programme covers both indigenous and international variety parcels.

Story

In 1968, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck the Belice Valley on the night of 14 January. The towns of Gibellina, Salaparuta, Montevago, and Poggioreale were destroyed. Hundreds died. Thousands lost homes, farms, and livelihoods. Recovery was slow, and for much of the 1970s and 1980s the valley's agricultural economy remained fractured.

Thirty years later, in 1998, a group of growers across the valley formed Cantine Ermes as a cooperative for shared production and export. The founding logic was recovery: pooling land, equipment, and market access to rebuild what had been scattered. The cooperative grew steadily, and today its 2,832 members farm across 16,764 hectares. More than 3,100 of those hectares now carry European organic certification, a commitment the cooperative formalised through its sustainability programme.

The range expanded in step with the membership, running from Nero d'Avola single-variety expressions to Glera-based sparkling wine under the Ca' Nomboli label. The Ca' Nomboli Prosecco DOC, unusual for a Sicilian cooperative, reflects both the scale of the operation and a deliberate reach toward export markets beyond the island.

Vineyards And Cellar

The cooperative's 3,118 certified organic hectares are farmed without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilisers. Natural fertilisation keeps soil biology active across the growing season.

Cellar protocols for individual wines are not fully disclosed, but the range architecture suggests separate vinification by grape and label. Buccia Sicilia is made entirely from Nero d'Avola, kept as a single-variety expression. Ca' Nomboli Prosecco DOC Extra Dry is made from Glera and follows Prosecco DOC production rules, with secondary fermentation in tank to preserve freshness and delicate perlage.

Wines

Cantine Ermes produces a wide portfolio across indigenous and international grape varieties. Two labels anchor the range.

Buccia Sicilia is the Nero d'Avola expression. Made from 100% Nero d'Avola, it carries the deep colour, plum fruit, and firm tannin typical of the variety on warm inland Sicilian soils. Ca' Nomboli Prosecco DOC Extra Dry is made from Glera, the grape behind all DOC Prosecco, and is produced as a sparkling wine with pale straw yellow colour and greenish highlights. The perlage is fine and persistent. The fruit register sits in the peach and apple range, with the off-dry profile of an Extra Dry dosage level.

The wider portfolio includes other indigenous Sicilian varieties alongside international grapes, aimed at export markets and volume buyers. The organic certification across 3,118 hectares applies across this broader range, not only to the named labels.

In The Glass

Buccia Sicilia opens with dark fruit: plum, black cherry, and a hint of dried fig from Nero d'Avola grown in the Belice Valley's warm, continental interior. In the mouth, the wine is full-bodied, with firm tannin from the variety's thick skins and enough acidity to keep the fruit from turning heavy. The finish is dry, relatively long, and carries a faint earthiness from the clay-limestone soils.

Ca' Nomboli Prosecco DOC Extra Dry is lighter in every register. The colour is pale straw with greenish hints. The bubbles are fine and stay visible in the glass. Peach and green apple dominate the nose. In the mouth, the mousse is soft, the acidity is moderate, and the dosage leaves a gentle sweetness that lifts the fruit without adding weight. It is a clean, easy sparkling wine built for aperitivo drinking.

A Bottle To Understand It

Buccia Sicilia is the right first bottle. It is made from 100% Nero d'Avola, the grape the Belice Valley grows best, and it shows what the cooperative's certified organic farming produces from warm inland Sicilian ground: deep colour, plum and dark cherry fruit, firm but not aggressive tannin, and a dry finish with some earthy length. No blending, no decoration. One variety, one valley, one bottle. Order it with a grilled lamb chop or a plate of aged sheep's cheese and it becomes immediately clear why Nero d'Avola built its reputation here.

Anecdote

On the night of 14 January 1968, the Belice Valley woke to a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that reduced Gibellina Vecchia and several neighbouring towns to rubble. The old town was never rebuilt. In the years that followed, the ruins were left to sit on the hillside, too damaged to restore and too large to remove. In 1981, the Roman artist Alberto Burri was given the site and a commission: do something with it. Over eight years, Burri and his team poured white concrete in a grid of low walls across the footprint of the original streets, following the old town plan exactly, filling each block to a height of about one and a half metres. The finished work, Il Cretto, covers roughly 80,000 square metres and remains one of the largest land artworks in the world. The vineyards directly surrounding it are farmed by Cantine Ermes, the cooperative formed in 1998 by valley growers for recovery. Their member-growers harvest Nero d'Avola and other varieties from parcels that look out over the white concrete grid every autumn.

Final Word

Cantine Ermes is a cooperative built from the Belice Valley's reconstruction, farming certified organic ground on a scale that few single estates in Sicily approach. Its bottles, particularly Buccia Sicilia, are anchored in Nero d'Avola grown on warm inland soils and reflect the valley's character plainly. The Cretto di Burri gives the address a weight beyond the vineyard numbers.

Sources

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