The story behind the wine
Trente Hargrave and Filip Kesteloot are Belgium art dealers, who ended up in the wine business rather my chance. On a cold rainy October in 2003, they were lost in the Sicilian hills. After driving for hours in the torrent rain they spotted a rather obscure sign marked- ‘route du vin’,’ strada del vino’,’ the wine route’. They ventured up this battered rustic road which brought them to the wine estate of Marco de Gracia who welcomed them and offered ‘a cup of tea’.
Sipping their tea, and recalling their not so pleasant experience in trying to buy a holiday house in Sicily only to have the owner sell it to someone else hardly a week before they came to close. Despite their disappointment they returned to Sicily for a vacation. De Gracia was very enthusiastic about Sicily in particular the grapes grown around Mount Etna, which he compared to the Burgundy region in France. He spoke about a vineyard that he knew for sale and described it …’this is a jewel of a property with over 2 hectares land’ …Hargrave and Kesteloot responded… ‘not interested - way too big’…de Gracia continued ’it has a wonderful old impeccable vineyard and plenty of olive and fruit trees’… Hargrave and Kesteloot responded… ‘not interested, anyway, sounds like lots of work’…’ there are two old palmentos (this is where the grapes used to be pressed) that needs restoring’… Hargrave and Kesteloot responded… not interested. Yet, he continued…‘it has a fantastic view of Mount Etna’… Hargrave and Kesteloot responded… not interested - sounds really nice , but‘ IF we were looking which we are not, the property should have a view of the sea… and he replied ‘ha, it also has a view of the sea as well …from the top of the property… Hargrave and Kesteloot were still not interested’.
Then came a knock at the door, de Gracia opened and welcomed an old farmer in whom he introduced. He talked for a while to the old man who left. When de Gracia returned, Hargrave and Kesteloot asked how can they see this property? ‘Excuse me?, de Gracia replied puzzled; ‘just a minute ago I described the one of the most splendid property around Mount Etna and you were not a bit interested. What changed your mind?’ Hargrave answered remember the man you just introduced ?’ yes, of course…’well, I have Sicilian family with exactly the same last name-and this is a sign that we should take a look at this property.
On their way back to their B&B they had to pass the village of Linguaglossa where the property was. They stopped by the shop where they were warmly greeted by a young man named Giuseppe . They presented de Gracias card, immediately he offered to show them the property. Pitch black still raining steadily they visited the property and when he turned on the lights several rats scurried over the umbrella beamed ceiling. ‘how do you like it?’ and they responded, interesting’ as a bat flew by. They go outside where he pointed in front and said ‘there is Mount Etna ‘ With only an arm length vision they said… ‘interesting’. At the top of the property they are provided with rain jackets – but, not boots . ‘Here is the vineyard, he said’ as he walked them through ankle deep mud. This time he pointed to the left and said ‘over there is the sea… and again … Hargrave and Kesteloot said ’interesting but think it is best to return in the daytime and not raining’.
The following day it was still raining, they drove back to Etna north and found the village with a funny name and very curious to see a property they were not interested in buying. Still, no Etna and no sea. Yet, standing still in the gentle rain they felt something special about this lushes, fertile, semi-tamed property… call it Magic…whatever, they decided on the spot to buy it and that was the beginning of ‘Terre di Trente’.