We are a family business in perpetual motion who desires to represent the artisan and creative excellence of Made in Italy throughout the world. Example of an authentic and sustainable wine-making Sicily, we produce wines capable of making people happy while tasting them.
Donnafugata is tailor-made wine making: we focus on small, prestigious productions from unique territories and vineyards. We produce environmentally friendly wines that appeal to enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world.
Donnafugata is a world full of colors and timeless values, pleasant and elegant wines with a unique style. Our trademark labels tell the colors of Sicily and the character of the wines in a distinctive and fantastic feminine language.
Giacomo Rallo, the fourth generation of a family with over 170 years of experience in producing quality wine. In 1983 he founded Donnafugata together with his wife Gabriella, considered a pioneer of feminine viticulture. Today the company is led by their children Antonio and José together with a team of people addressed to excellence and to the representation of the Made in Italy.
Visionary entrepreneur, profound connoisseur of international markets and founder of Donnafugata. One of the protagonists of the Sicilian wine Renaissance, he contributed to the foundation of the Istituto del Vino Italiano di Qualità Grandi Marchi, testifying to his commitment in favor of a shared action oriented towards the production of fine wines. In 2006 he became Cavaliere del Lavoro (member of the Order of Merit for Labor) of the Italian Republic, the highest honor for an entrepreneur.
A brave woman with an innovation attitude, a pioneer of Sicilian quality viticulture. A curious entrepreneur with a sophisticated taste, she is the author and inspirer of Donnafugata’s revolutionary labels. She was one of the founding members of the National Association of Women in Wine which valorizes women’s commitment in all categories of the wine industry. In 2018 she was awarded the honor of Commendatore of the Italian Republic.
CEO of Donnafugata, with an economic background, she has a strong passion for marketing and corporate communication. She invented a new way of talking about wine as a singer with Donnafugata Music & Wine. In 2002 she received the Bellisario Award for her contribution to the enhancement of female entrepreneurship. She is a member of the board of directors of Assovini Sicilia, of the ICE (National Institute for International Commerce) and of the FAI (the National Trust of Italy).
CEO of Donnafugata, agronomist and wine maker with a great passion and technical competence. Thanks to his strategic vision, today he is at the helm of the Consortium for the Protection of DOC Sicily Wine, a tool for the promotion of the territory and for its cohesion. Between 2016 and 2017 he was president of the Unione Italiana Vini, the main national association of companies in the sector.
In Sicily, the Rallo family passionately entered the world of wine following in the footsteps of English entrepreneurs.
In 1983, the historic family wineries in Marsala became the beating heart of a new entrepreneurial activity: Donnafugata, founded by Giacomo Rallo, visionary entrepreneur of a fourth generation with his wife Gabriella, a pioneer of the quality viticulture.
In 1990, their children José and Antonio joined the company.
The name Donnafugata refers to the novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Tomasi di Lampedusa, set on the hills of Contessa Entellina where the history of the company began with its first nucleus of vineyards.
Donnafugata has over 30 years of experience in sustainable good practices: it does not use herbicides and chemical fertilizers, it produces clean energy, calculates Carbon and Water Footprints, aims at the safeguarding of the landscape and biodiversity and at enhancing the territory. Donnafugata adheres to the SOStain Sicily Foundation, whose goal is to pursue practices consistent with the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Donnafugata arrives on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where the Zibibbo is cultivated as bush vine on terraces surrounded by dry stone walls. The aim is to produce one of the most appreciated sweet wines in the world: Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria, the result of an innovative production process and maximum expression of the tailor- made production.
The first trademark label, La Fuga, revolutionized the image of the labels of the time. Gabriella met the illustrator Stefano Vitale and fell in love with his fantastic language, immediately grasping the affinity with Donnafugata’s way of being.
The dialogue between art and wine continues with Donnafugata Music & Wine, a musical tasting project, with José Rallo on vocals. A unique multisensory experience that has touched upon special locations such as the Blue Note in New York.
First vintage of the Mille e una Notte conceived of by Giacomo Rallo together with the great enologist Giacomo Tachis. A milestone on the company’s path, a long-lived collectionist’s wine. An icon of Italian excellence.
With the 2016 harvest Donnafugata inaugurated its estates on Etna and Vittoria, with the aim of representing the extraordinary potential of Sicily Attention to detail and a passion for Sicily are the values that combine Dolce & Gabbana and Donnafugata, two excellences of Made in Italy. The result of this partnership is a collection of wines, extraordinary ambassadors of Sicily: Rosa, Tancredi, Cuordilava and Isolano.
