Duca di Salaparuta: Blending art and wine

For Duca di Salaparuta, wine and art are intertwined. In 2024, to mark its 200th anniversary, the winemaker set out to celebrate the culture of its homeland east of Palermo, between Casteldaccia and Bagheria, establishing a fascinating route for lovers of art, history and wine.

Visitors start in Palermo at the Palazzo Steri, home to one of Italian painter Renato Guttuso’s most famous works, ‘La Vucciria’. Guests then pass through the historic villas of Bagheria: Villa Palagonia, Villa Cattolica – with its Guttuso gallery – and Villa Valguarnera, the first home of the Alliata family, founders of Duca di Salaparuta.

Finally, tourists arrive at Casteldaccia, where Duca di Salaparuta’s cellar is open for free, allowing visitors to view ‘Poliedrica.’ This new triptych by Arrigo Musti celebrates the life of Topazia Alliata, the final member of the Alliata family to run the business.

The artwork’s first panel depicts Topazia as a bacchante, celebrating her rebellious youth with shades of pink. The central panel portrays her as Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, with coral green hues evoking her connection to the land. The final panel shows her as Artemis, the goddess of hunting and nature, symbolising her independence and the strength of her maturity in dark blue.

Building on its artistic heritage

Unveiling ‘Poliedrica’ – which takes its name from the Greek polyedros, meaning ‘multifaceted’ – builds on Duca di Salaparuta’s work to promote Sicilian culture. The company’s commitment to art is even reflected on its labels.

The labels for its Autentici di Sicilia range of six wines feature portions of the painting ‘Paesaggio dell’Aspra’ (‘Aspra Countryside’) by Guttuso, while photographs by Mimmo Pintacuda grace the labels of the three wines in its Vini di Tenuta range. A painting of Villa Valguarnera by Emilio Murdolo, a painter of the traditional, intricately decorated Sicilian carts and an influence on the young Guttuso, adorns the label of Triskelè Nero d’Avola.

The Villa Cattolica, which houses the Guttuso Gallery.

Celebrating its founding family

Central to Duca di Salaparuta’s cultural story is Duca Enrico, the wine that commemorates Topazia’s father, Duke Enrico, who won awards from Rome to New York and forged the winery’s global reputation. The wine that bears his name was launched in 1984, when winemaker Franco Giacosa bottled Nero d’Avola as a single-variety wine for the first time.

The 2021 Duca Enrico delivers aromas of red fruit and intense notes of blood orange and spices, with sweet tannins enveloping the palate.