Sicilia

Leaving the bustle of the coastal capital Palermo and traveling inland through one of Italy’s most dramatic landscapes, one will discover Regaleali, the estate of the Sicilian Tasca d’Almerita family. Located in the mountainous heart of Sicily, Regaleali is a world unto itself: a vast estate owned by the Tasca d’Almerita family since 1837 and best known for its fine wines and for its cooking school. Sicily's viticultural roots are some of the world's most ancient, as the area supported vines as far back as the 5th century BC. Today, Regaleali is a model estate, producing over 200,000 cases of wine annually in one of the world's most modern and advanced wineries.

While the history of Tasca d’Almerita goes back to the 19th century, it was Count Giuseppe Tasca who started a new era for the winery and the Sicilian wine business in the late 1950’s, devoting himself to the promotion of Sicilian wines and introducing a new business model, based on quality and innovation rather than on quantity and bulk production. He invented the two flagship wines of the house: Rosso del Conte and Nozze d’Oro. Rosso del Conte was created in the early 1970’s elevating the quality of the native Nero d’Avola grape with modern winemaking techniques, and could be considered the “father” of the modern Sicilian top-notch reds. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Count Giuseppe over the past 50 years, the wines of Tasca d’Almerita are celebrated worldwide for their outstanding value and prestigious history. Today the winery is run by the Tasca d’Almerita family with Count Lucio (Count Giuseppe’s son) as President, and his two sons: Giuseppe who serves as Vice President and Alberto as Managing Director.

The cooking school is one of the best in Italy, and has introduced hundreds of Americans to the art of preparing Sicilian dishes. Marchesa Anna Tasca Lanza, Count Lucio’s sister, runs the school and is the author of The Heart of Sicily: Recipes and Reminiscences of Regaleali, a Country Estate and The Flavors of Sicily: Stories, Traditions, and Recipes for Warm-Weather Cooking. The Regaleali estate and its cooking school draw culinary professionals from around the world, including Julia Child and Alice Waters. In addition to the wines, the estate is practically self sufficient, producing most of the vegetables, fruits, wheat, olives, cheeses and meats used at the school.