Etna Bianco, Planeta 2021

The Planeta family has been one of the most dynamic influences in improving the quality of Sicilian wines in the last 30 years. The late, great driving force of the company, Diego Planeta first planted vines in 1985, in his home town of Sambuca di Sicilia, and began commercial production under his own label in 1995. There are now 93 hectares of vines here, but Diego expanded his vineyard sites across the island, and the company now produces wines from six separate locations.

The largest of these is a 120-hectare site in Menfi, his wife’s hometown, where the soils are particularly well suited to growing fiano as well as international grape varieties like syrah. This is now the site of Planeta’s main winery, and for many years Diego was also president of the Settesoli co-operative here.

After settling in Menfi, Diego acquired 34 hectares of vines in the south-east at Vittoria, where he had long had land for growing tomatoes, and here he specialises in two native grape varieties, nero d’Avola and frappato. There are 51 further hectares of nero d’Avola further east at Noto, and more recently Planeta invested in six hectares on Etna, making sparkling and still carricante.

Planeta remains very much a family business, with seven children and 15 cousins, six of whom are fully involved in the business. Though the loss of Diego in 2020 was a blow, Planeta is in good hands for the future.