Tanca Nica is run by Nicoletta Pecorelli, originally from Sardinia, and Francesco Ferreri, born and bred in Pantelleria. Francesco got the wine bug at a young age, inspired by his grandfather while making wine with him. He already knew he wanted to be a vignaiolo aged 14yo, and left Pantelleria for Conegliano (Veneto) to study at the renowned agricultural and oenological boarding school. After years of research and jobs in wineries as well as oenology labs, he got a gig at the biodynamic estate Seresin in New Zealand. And it is there, on the other side of the world, that he felt the pull of his roots – Pantelleria’s magnetic force brought him back among his grandfather’s vines (2016). Francesco came back on a mission: reviving the old ways, upholding traditions and savoir-faire that have been devalued and lost – 6,000ha of vines in the 1960s and about 500ha in 2010, sadly most of them are in the hands of big brands these days.
Nicoletta and Francesco currently look after 3ha divided in 10 plots over 6 contradas (there are 20+ contradas on the island). They own 1ha (Francesco’s family) while the other two are rented from locals as well as foreigners – many have bought a dammuso surrounded by vines they are not able/willing to take care of. As a result, the couple are regularly offered parcels, but often refuse or sometimes swap them with others to select, work and rediscover the best terroirs. These small plots of vines are in the nooks and crannies of the island, scattered around evergreen woodlands, smoking craters, and sinuous hills.
