Marco De Bartoli

Marco De Bartoli inherited the family vineyards in Contrada Samperi in the mid-1970s and founded the cantina in 1978 with a contrarian mission: to recover the original vino perpetuo style of Marsala that pre-dated John Woodhouse's 1773 fortification of the wine for British naval export. Marco grew up watching his uncle's farmhouse Marsala-style wine aged in old casks without fortification, in the tradition still practiced quietly by Sicilian growers for family use. The first commercial bottling of Vecchio Samperi appeared in 1980, immediately drawing critical attention for its uncompromising oxidative depth and Sicilian rather than industrial-British character. Marco extended the estate's reach to Pantelleria in the 1980s, purchasing five hectares in the Bukkuram contrada to produce Passito di Pantelleria from alberello-trained Zibibbo. After Marco's death in 2011, his sons Sebastiano and Renato with daughter Josephine assumed leadership, maintaining the founder's exacting standards and low-intervention philosophy. The estate is treated as a benchmark across the natural-wine, traditional-Marsala, and fine-wine communities alike.

• Founded 1978 by Marco De Bartoli in Contrada Samperi; first commercial Vecchio Samperi bottling 1980
• Mission: recover the pre-British vino perpetuo style that pre-dated Woodhouse's 1773 fortification
• Pantelleria estate added 1980s in Bukkuram contrada (5 hectares) for Passito production
• Marco died 2011; estate now run by sons Sebastiano and Renato with daughter Josephine

The Marsala estate sits in Contrada Samperi at low elevation on the limestone-clay (terre rosse) plain west of the town, with vineyards trained primarily to alberello and spalliera. Grillo dominates the plantings as the historic Marsala grape, with smaller parcels of Zibibbo (Moscato d'Alessandria) and Catarratto. The Pantelleria estate covers five hectares in Bukkuram, the volcanic island's premier Zibibbo contrada, where alberello-trained vines grow in stone-walled terraces (giardini panteschi) to shelter from the constant wind. Vines on Pantelleria are head-trained as low bushes in shallow basins to capture humidity from sea air. The Zibibbo grapes for Passito are sun-dried on cannizzi reed-strip drying racks after harvest, concentrating sugar to approximately 320-380 g/L before fermentation. The dual-site model gives the estate access to two distinct Sicilian terroirs: Marsala's limestone plain for Grillo-driven fortified and unfortified wines, and Pantelleria's volcanic island for Passito.

• Marsala estate (Contrada Samperi): limestone-clay (terre rosse) plain west of Marsala; primarily Grillo with smaller Zibibbo and Catarratto
• Pantelleria estate (Bukkuram contrada): 5 hectares of alberello-trained Zibibbo in stone-walled giardini panteschi terraces
• Vines on Pantelleria head-trained as low bushes in shallow basins for wind shelter and humidity capture
• Zibibbo for Passito sun-dried on cannizzi reed-strip racks post-harvest, concentrating to 320-380 g/L sugar

Vecchio Samperi is produced via a perpetuum (solera-style) method: each year a portion of the oldest cask is drawn off for bottling and refilled with younger Grillo wine, creating a continuous fractional blending system where the average wine age remains approximately 15 years. The wine is unfortified, finishing dry, with alcohol around 17% achieved naturally through long oxidative aging and evaporation rather than added grape spirit. Because Marsala DOC requires fortification, Vecchio Samperi declassifies to IGT or Vino da Tavola. The fortified Marsala range (Vigna La Miccia, Riserva 10 Anni Vecchio, Vergine, Superiore) uses mistella (mute), cotto, or sifone fortification per traditional methods, with Vergine bottlings unfortified-style but technically fortified to qualify for the DOC. Bukkuram Passito is fermented from sun-dried Zibibbo and aged in oak, with the two cuvees differentiating by drying time and aging duration. The estate works minimally in the cellar: indigenous yeasts, no enzymes, low SO2, and extended oxidative aging in old wooden casks.

• Vecchio Samperi: perpetuum (solera-style) method with average ~15 year age; 100% Grillo; unfortified at ~17% ABV; declassified to IGT outside Marsala DOC
• Fortified Marsala range: Vigna La Miccia (entry), Riserva 10 Anni Vecchio, Vergine, Superiore expressions
• Bukkuram Passito di Pantelleria: two cuvees (Padre della Vigna, Sole d'Agosto) from sun-dried Zibibbo with oak aging
• Low-intervention philosophy: indigenous yeasts, no enzymes, low SO2, extended oxidative aging in old casks

Marco De Bartoli is widely credited with single-handedly preserving the credibility of Marsala as a serious fine wine during the late 20th century, when most of the region's commercial output had descended into cooking-wine territory and cheap fortified blends. The estate's uncompromising commitment to long-aged Grillo, the recovery of the vino perpetuo tradition, and the refusal to add cotto (cooked must) or commercial coloring agents established a benchmark that other quality-minded Marsala producers (Florio, Pellegrino, Donnafugata's Ben Rye on Pantelleria) measure themselves against. Vecchio Samperi receives consistent 95+ point reviews from Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jancis Robinson, James Suckling, and Wine Advocate. The 20 Anni and 30 Anni library expressions of Vecchio Samperi command collector prices at auction and on the secondary market. Marco was a controversial figure during his lifetime, repeatedly clashing with the Marsala consorzio over what he saw as the dilution of the appellation's standards, and the estate's wines remained technically outside DOC for much of his career.

• Widely credited with preserving Marsala's credibility as a serious fine wine during late-20th-century commercial decline
• Benchmark for quality-minded Marsala producers (Florio, Pellegrino, Donnafugata) and the broader Sicilian fine-wine community
• Vecchio Samperi receives consistent 95+ point reviews; 20 Anni and 30 Anni library expressions command collector prices
• Marco's career marked by repeated clashes with Marsala consorzio over appellation standards and cooking-wine dilution

The Marsala estate in Contrada Samperi welcomes visitors by appointment for guided tours and tastings, with the experience centered on the perpetuum cellar where rows of aging Grillo casks ascend by vintage. Tasting flights typically include Grappoli del Grillo dry Grillo, the Marsala range (Vigna La Miccia, Riserva 10 Anni Vecchio, Vergine), and Vecchio Samperi as the flagship. The Pantelleria estate in Bukkuram is also open to visitors during the spring through autumn season, with the volcanic island's UNESCO-listed alberello viticulture and giardini panteschi terraces drawing wine and architecture enthusiasts. The estate participates in Sicily en Primeur (the annual Assovini Sicilia trade event in spring) and Vinitaly in Verona each April. Marsala the town sits on Sicily's western coast and combines easily with visits to the Selinunte and Segesta archaeological sites, the Erice hilltop village, and the Trapani salt pans for visitors building a full western Sicily itinerary.

• Marsala estate (Contrada Samperi): tours and tastings by appointment; perpetuum cellar central to the visit experience
• Tasting flights cover Grappoli del Grillo, the Marsala range, and Vecchio Samperi flagship
• Pantelleria estate (Bukkuram) open spring-autumn; UNESCO alberello viticulture and giardini panteschi terraces
• Sicily en Primeur (Assovini Sicilia spring trade event) and Vinitaly Verona (April) primary commercial showcases