Discover the brand Tenuta Monte Gorna: here is our interview.

Tenuta Monte Gorna is a family-run business driven by a pure passion for the land and wine; a passion that has been passed down from father to son for three generations. The company philosophy is based on enhancing the wine heritage of the territory and producing quality wines linked to traditions.

All productive and operational phases, both in the vineyard and in the winery, are carried out with the same respect for the places and traditions with which the first generation began, showing dedication and affection for the hard work done over the years.
Tenuta Monte Gorna is located on Mount Etna - we are in eastern Sicily and here you can find all the products from this beautiful region that we have selected - at 760 meters above sea level, in the Carpene district, one of the 133 Etna districts where DOC wines are produced, along the Etna Wine Route. A place of wild beauty, immersed in the Regional Park. The company takes its name from one of the extinct craters surrounding Mount Etna that outline the profile of the southeast slope of the volcano.
Tenuta Monte Gorna is mindful of the values of tradition and quality, with the goal of producing a wine that is an expression of the potential of the land, cultivated organically, guided by the climatic and morphological peculiarities of the production areas.

We love these artisans, these producers of unique, certified, and award-winning delicacies: they are real treasures nestled in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We do not just focus on living their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That’s why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us to get to know Tenuta Monte Gorna: read the responses!
 

• Who are we talking to?
  Sebastiano Licciardello, the handyman of the company
   
• Is the company family-run? In what year was the company founded and who was the founder?
  Yes, ours is a relatively young family-run company. We basically inherited the vineyards from our paternal grandfather, who had been cultivating them for over 60 years, and later, after a long period in which the produced grapes were sold, in 2001 we decided to start our family adventure vinifying the grapes we produced to make our wines. We can say that our activity has been passed down from generation to generation. The second generation is responsible for restructuring the owned land, entirely replanted with vineyards of indigenous Etna grape varieties, and the third generation, ours, has the task of making our wines, our places, and our work known to wine lovers and enthusiasts both Italian and foreign.
   
• Who was the founder and what was his background or what was the professional field from which he came if different from the current one?
  Only in the last 10/15 years have we taken on a structured form as a modern company. My grandfather was a “Capu Chiurma”, which meant he was the Coordinator of a group of local farmers and winemakers who took care of the vineyards of other owners in addition to those he owned. He was a farmer in every aspect because, in the past, vineyards were “married” meaning the cultivation of grapevines happened alongside other crops to ensure income throughout the year. My father and I come from the technical field, he is a Surveyor, and I am an Architect, my mother is an agricultural entrepreneur in the cereal and oil sector, as in other parts of Sicily we have other plots, my sister Arianna is graduating in economics and business management, and my sister Stefania is responsible for hospitality and tastings, thanks to her we have also developed and implemented company visits and tastings of our wines with various types of offers.
   
• What is the true reason or triggering fact behind the establishment of this company and when did it happen?
  The reasons that pushed us to undertake this activity are two. The first is the sense of belonging to our origins and the second is the desire to take care of a small portion of “earthly paradise” which we try to communicate with the result of our work, namely: our wines. It is no coincidence that Etna and its landscapes, a result of a long adaptation work and coexistence of native farmers, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
   
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its uniqueness? And why do you want to tell it through your products?
  The uniqueness of Etna is that each portion of land has unique characteristics relating to soil quality, slope, sun exposure, soil layout, and altitude. So, each vineyard reflects the microclimate of the area in which it is located. We want to tell the beauty and the uniqueness of our area. 
   
• What was the first product you created?
  The first wine we bottled was the Etna Rosso DOC vintage 2008 from Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grapes. In the following years, another red aged in Barrique, a White Etna DOC from Carricante and Catarratto grapes, and a Rosato Etna DOC from Nerello Mascalese grapes were added. All indigenous Etna grape varieties. 
   
• What is the product that you currently consider as the "flagship"?
  All products are considered “flagship” because each of our wines reflects not only the peculiarities of the location but also of the climatic vintage.
   
• And what is the product that throughout the history of the company has most embodied the beating heart, philosophy, and soul of the company itself?
  The Etna Rosso Doc Barricato
   
• Let’s talk about today: how much has the company grown since its inception? Can we have some numbers?
  We started with 2 hectares and today we manage 4.5 hectares and in addition, we purchase batches of grapes from local farmers and winemakers. We started with one label with 3000 bottles and today we have 4 labels with more than 20,000 bottles per year. And we are still looking for a few more hectares to plant.
   
• At this moment: more tradition or more innovation?
  Tradition is our “main road” always. Because, especially in the agronomic part, we continue to respect the dictates and traditions handed down. However, we cannot deny that there is also much innovation both in the vineyard regarding obtaining a healthy product thanks to precautions and attention in trying to prevent parasitic attacks or other biological issues, as well as in the winemaking phase, and finally in marketing and promotion with the help of new sharing and communication platforms. 
   
• What has been the most significant evolution of the company to get to what it is today?
  The most important evolution for us has been opening up to corporate visits, showcasing our work, telling our story, and our places. This unexpectedly allowed us to establish a stronger bond based on honesty and trust with our passionate visitors curious about the world of wine.
   
• Talking about the future: what awaits the company tomorrow? Are there any changes or new evolutionary processes planned?
  Thinking about the future, what comes to mind is the improvement of what we already do and what we could do better. We envision broader hospitality that could include overnight stays and the creation of further experiences to offer our visitors.
   
• Are you planning to create new products?
  In addition to vinifying other grapes from other districts to produce even more territorial wines, we intend to expand our range of products, still of viticultural derivation but expressed through sparkling wine and distillation.
   
• Having focused on Spaghetti & Mandolino, how important is online sales to you, what has your relationship been in the past with this sales channel and how do you see it for the future?
  We can affirm that online sales are no longer a small percentage but now represent a real slice of our budgets. We have always shown great interest in this sales channel but only now do we consider ourselves satisfied with the distribution breadth and the containment of transport costs.
   
• Value: what was, what is today, and what will it be in the future for your company?
  The values that have always accompanied us on this adventure: respect, dedication, and consistency.

S&M