José Rallo Academician of the Georgofili
The important recognition for the woman of wine, the face and voice of Donnafugata. The ceremony 7 April in Florence in the presence of EU Commissioner Hogan. On this occasion José Rallo will invite him to the harvest on Pantelleria, among the southernmost vineyards in Europe.
For the wine Sicily it is a new source of pride: José Rallo of Donnafugata has been admitted to the prestigious Georgofili Academy. The entrepreneur will receive the Diploma of associate Academician from the President of the Academy Giampiero Maracchi, next 7 April in Florence.
The ceremony will be followed by the inauguration of the 264th academic year which will take place in the charming Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, with the opening speech by Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture. An occasion on which José Rallo will have the pleasure of personally inviting commissioner Hogan to the harvest among the southernmost vineyards in Europe, on Pantelleria, an extraordinary example of heroic viticulture based on the agricultural practice of the alberello vine, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Founded in 1753, the Georgofili Academy is the oldest Italian institution that promotes the progress of the sciences and the application of them in agriculture, protection of the environment and rural development. Its members are outstanding scholars and personalities who have distinguished themselves in this professional field.
Candidate representing Sicily, from the south-west section of the Academy, chaired by Prof. Francesco Giulio Crescimanno, José Rallo has been admitted to the Georgofili due to her merits as a woman of wine, the face and voice of Donnafugata.
The Sicilian entrepreneur has distinguished herself for having wanted to introduce, into the family winery, policies aimed at energy production from renewable sources, energy saving and measuring environmental impact through carbon footprint certification that is now displayed on the labels of all its wines.
The winery she runs together with her brother Antonio – also Academician since 2014 – is a reality that, from the historic cellars in Marsala to over 60 countries worldwide, exports the wines produced at the estates in Contessa Entellina, on Pantelleria and soon also those in eastern Sicily, on Etna and in the Vittoria area where, in 2016, Donnafugata launched its production commitment.
“It is a great honor to become part of the Georgofili – José Rallo commented –. I believe that today viticulture cannot leave aside an approach oriented towards both the sustainability and enhancement of tangible and intangible resources we get from the culture of our territories and our capacity for research and innovation. Being part of an Academy like the Georgofili is therefore a great opportunity to help transmit knowledge and experiences that characterize my commitment to the wine world, so that these values become an even more shared heritage.”
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