Marco de Bartoli

The Racing Driver Who Saved Marsala

Marco de Bartoli not only collected vintage cars, he also raced for ten years before returning to the family estate in Samperi in the 1970s. What he found there appalled the impulsive Sicilian: a Marsala industry built on mass production and gimmicks. While competitors worked with added alcohol and sweeteners, Marco sought out old solera casks and reconstructed his family's historic cellar. In 1978, he filled the first barriques – the foundation stone for a revolution had been laid.

The bureaucratic farce of the 1990s demonstrates how radical Marco's approach was: his wines achieved alcohol levels through natural concentration that overwhelmed the system. Today his children continue the work – Renato tends the vineyards and cellar in Samperi, Sebastiano manages the volcanic island of Pantelleria, whilst Giuseppina heads administration.

Grillo – Sicily's Forgotten Queen

Since the Phoenicians, the Grillo grape has thrived on the limestone soils around Marsala. Marco recognised its true potential: high natural acidity paired with the ability to achieve extreme alcohol levels without losing elegance. The Grappoli del Grillo from 1990 was the estate's first single-varietal Grillo white wine – a sensation at a time when Grillo was known only as a Marsala base wine.

The Perpetuum method gives Vecchio Samperi its unique complexity: like a sourdough starter, young wine is continuously added to older vintages. The result is a wine that is never completely depleted – a living archive of Sicilian wine history.

From Pantelleria to the World Stage

In 1984, Marco expanded his universe to include the volcanic island of Pantelleria, where Zibibbo grapes thrive under extreme conditions. The Bukkuram "Sole d'Agosto" is made from grapes that shrivel into natural raisins under the Sicilian sun – a passito of hypnotic intensity.

The New York Times recommended De Bartoli's Marsala as one of the world's finest sweet wines, Condé Nast Traveler named the estate one of the best wine regions in 2020. Like Arianna Occhipinti in the south-east of the island, De Bartoli ranks among the pioneers of Sicily's natural wine movement – both are uncompromisingly committed to indigenous grape varieties and authentic winemaking.

Sicily's Liquid Memory

The Vecchio Samperi Quarantennale embodies four decades of wine history in a glass. This 40-year-old wine unites apparent opposites: the freshness of young Grillo grapes merges with the velvety complexity of decades of ageing. A paradox made possible only through Marco's radical approach – Marsala without additives, without compromise, without concessions to the spirit of the age.

Today the family manages 30 hectares under organic viticulture, harvests exclusively by hand and relies on native yeasts. The 3,500 vines per hectare are trained in the traditional alberello or modern Guyot method – approaches that remain true to Marco's vision of authentic Sicilian wine.