Rallo Azienda Agricola, Vicoletto Catarratto, IGP Sicily, Italy, 2024

Producer Profile

Rallo is an historic Sicilian winery founded in Marsala in 1860 by Diego Rallo, originally gaining prominence for Marsala and Passito wines exported across Europe and the Americas.

The modern chapter began in 1996 when the Vesco family acquired the estate, integrating their own vineyards in Alcamo with Rallo’s historic Marsala cellars and transforming the business into a quality-focused, estate-led producer. Today, Rallo operates across three key areas of western Sicily—Marsala, Alcamo and Pantelleria—crafting predominantly fresh, expressive wines, with a particular aptitude for aromatic white varieties that reflect the island’s identity. The estate combines deep heritage with a progressive mindset, practising certified organic agriculture since 2010 and maintaining full control from vineyard to bottling. Under the stewardship of the Vesco family, Rallo has evolved into a benchmark producer that balances tradition, sustainability and modern Sicilian winemaking precision.

Viticulture

Vicoletto is an exciting new project from Rallo Azienda Agricola, showcasing the character of Catarratto grapes grown in the sandy, elevated hills of Alcamo. Here, the vines benefit from cooler temperatures and a pronounced diurnal range, allowing for a slower, more balanced ripening—shielded from the island's intense heat. Winemaker Andrea Vesco embraces a sustainable, organic approach, continuing a viticultural tradition that has flourished in Alcamo’s fertile soils for over 300 years. The grapes are carefully hand-harvested in the early morning to preserve freshness and aromatic purity.

Winemaking

The grapes are gently pressed, with 90% of the juice fermented off the skins in stainless steel tanks, while the remaining 10% undergoes skin-contact fermentation for 12 days. Both components ferment naturally using indigenous yeasts. After fermentation, the skin-contact portion is blended back in, and the final wine is bottled unfiltered, unfined, and without stabilisation or added sulphur.

Tasting Note

This vibrant yet slightly hazy orange wine owes its appearance to a natural, minimal-intervention winemaking process—crafted without stabilisation, fining, or filtration, and containing only minimal sulphur. On the nose, it reveals an expressive bouquet of citrus, grapefruit, crisp apple, and white-fleshed fruits. These bright, fruity notes carry through to the palate, where they’re elegantly balanced by hints of Mediterranean herbs and a lively backbone of fresh acidity.

Food matching

Best lightly chilled to around 14°C rather than served straight from the refrigerator with Sicilian pasta asciutta/ bolognaise or pane e panelle (chickpea fritters).