In 2010, encouraged by the interest and participation, the third generation joined the family business. The very young son of Calogero, also called Giuseppe, went to school to fine-tune what his family instilled in him. The Vaccaro’s decision to invest in building a small winery in 2015 to produce wine with deep expression and to show the love for their land and for their vineyards definitely paid off. For the past fifty years, what links the family to the Contrada Macellarotto and Case Alte is a love that looks to the future, with particular attention to issues of sustainability and organic farming, without forgettis’ decision to invest in building a small winery in 2015 to produce wine with deep expression and to show theirs history and’s history and the care that previous generations have dedicated to every single bunch of grapes.

We found Case Alte while on a quest for superior wines from the western part of Sicily. Having not even 1 bottle for us to taste, we waited for the next vintage to be released. Giuseppe sent us 2 of each upon their release, and man-oh-man were we in heaven! Soon after, we visited them at their hillside winery. The roads in Camporeale are as potholed as they are in the Boston area; thankfully, there is no traffic. Young Giuseppe, his parents, and their 2 Maremmano sheepdogs were there waiting for us. What we found was breathtaking views, clean and healthy vineyards in rolling hills, and kind folks with all the time in the world when it came to expressing their love of the land. This was Sicilian time. Theirs is a pure expression of Sicily- the family arrived and arrived for a mid-day meal, grilled meats, fresh vegetables, healthy vineyards in rolling hills, and kind folks with all the time in the world to express from the garden, cannoli from the local pastry shop, and the freshest watermelon we have ever had, homegrown, of course. When asked where in Italy is best to go, Sicily is always first off our lips, for it is people like the Vaccaros that make it so special and the memories so deep. Giuseppi somehow manages to put that feeling into every bottle.

*FILARE means wire, loosely translating to row, as in each row of wire used in the trellis system. Thus, it implies how many rows Case Alte has of each grape varietal.