EARTHQUAKE
WINEMAKER

Not satisfied with saving grandad’s vineyard in Sicily, Dino started an even bigger mission – and an exciting UK first

We first met Dino as he began refurbishing his grandad’s abandoned vineyard, discovered behind a hilltop Sicilian village that had been ravaged by an earthquake in the 1960s.

You loved the wine it made, Tenuta Fenice, “Call the Police,” went one review, “it’s a steal!!”

But Dino is not one to rest on his laurels. His new red is just as ambitious and, again, all about doing the right thing.

Called w/o ... shorthand for ‘without’ ... it’s a wine made without compromise.

To do this, Dino chose the local champion Frappato grape, bringing oodles of ripe berries, cherry and plum. It’s seriously delicious – fruity and flavoursome without getting heavy. All grown organically, thanks to Sicily’s warm and dry climate, plus Dino’s patience in the vines.

w/o also comes in 100% recycled glass – known as ‘wild’ glass – the first wine in the UK to do so, reducing the carbon footprint and moving away from mining additional natural materials.

But it’s what’s IN the bottle that’ll really wow you and has staff already clamouring to buy it. Wine critic Jamie Goode wrote these notes:

“Fruity and open on the nose with aromatic cherries and plums. It’s fresh and very fruity on the palate with some raspberry and sweet cherry ... lots of pleasure here.”

Speaking of lots of pleasure, it’s superb alongside classics like pizza or ragù ... even better with slow-roasted, Sicilian-style lamb.

Dino is just the kind of passionate and visionary winemaker we love to shout about at Laithwaites and with w/o he has again raised the bar. Make sure you don’t go without!