Innovative Packaging Showcases Donnafugata’s Commitment to Sustainability

Innovative Packaging Showcases Sicilian Winery Commitment to Sustainability

Donnafugata Lighea 2023- a lighter bottle and refreshed label

Donnafugata, the family-owned winery and leading example of authentic and sustainable winemaking in Sicily, releases a new packaging for Lighea 2023. Continuing to focus on the challenge of environmental sustainability, the award-winning producer introduces innovative packaging to the 2023 vintage of the white wine.

Lighea is now bottled in the Cento per Cento Sicilia (‘100% Sicilian’) Burgundy bottle, produced exclusively on the island of Sicily from recycled glass implemented by O-I Glass in collaboration with Fondazione SOStain. Weighing just 410 grams, instead of the typical 550 grams, the Cento per Cento Sicilia bottle is lighter and therefore contributes to reducing CO2 emissions and environmental impact over time. Lighea also uses the Nomacorc Ocean closure, produced by recycling plastic collected in coastal areas to protect the marine ecosystem.

“It is a wine that looks to the future,” says Donnafugata CEO and family-proprietor Josè Rallo. “The introduction of the Cento per Cento Sicilia bottle and the Nomacorc Ocean closure are innovations in line with the sustainable development goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. These decisions add to over 30 years of good practices from reducing the vineyard’s environmental impact to the production of clean energy, as well as the protection of biodiversity to support the land. It is our ongoing commitment that has enabled us to obtain SOStain certification for sustainable Sicilian winemaking.”

Lighea, made from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes, is a product of the unique viticulture of Pantelleria where the sun and wind create extreme winemaking conditions in this volcanic island. In this region, the traditional Pantelleria alberello, head-trained bush vines, grow low to the ground. Given the creative and sustainable technique, it is the only agricultural practice with Unesco Cultural Heritage status.

“The extreme nature of Pantelleria has always represented a real challenge and Lighea is a truly authentic interpretation of this land,” comments Antonio Rallo, Donnafugata Winemaker, CEO and family-proprietor. “Growing the vines so low and in terraces requires a lot of labor, from pruning and harvesting to the essential maintenance of kilometers of dry- lava stone walls. Knowledge, hard work, and dedication are the basis of the teamwork that makes it possible to create unique and highly distinctive products like Lighea.”

The result is an aromatic wine with a deeply Mediterranean character; a white that stands out for its unmistakable hints of orange blossom, its citrusy and floral notes, its remarkable freshness, and its pleasant mineral finish.

The new Lighea 2023 packaging features the eyes of a bewitching mermaid showcasing the wine’s personality. Staying true to the elegant original design drawn by artist Stefano Vitale, the background of the new label depicts a Pantelleria dawn.

Lighea 2023 is available now in New York for an SRP of $24.99, with nationwide availability starting in early 2025.