The Sicilian Wine Harvest with Isabelle Legeron
27 September - 4 October 2025
A wine and culinary retreat hosted by Isabelle Legeron, Master of Wine, founder of RAW WINE, and acclaimed author of "Natural Wine: an introduction to organic & biodynamic wines made naturally".
Special guest
Omakase chef, Shigeru Nakaminato of Bunon Natural Wine Bar, Tokyo, Japan
An overview
While staying in the luxurious confines of Rocca delle Tre Contrade, one of the very top private villas in the Mediterranean, guests participating in this all-inclusive, 7-day retreat, will learn about the emerging wine areas of Sicily, enjoy exclusive access to winemakers, and experience Sicily's wine harvest first-hand.
The retreat will also feature a unique introduction to Japanese omakase cuisine, prepared using local Sicilian seafood and ingredients, as well as hands-on classes focusing on traditional Sicilian recipes. Wine pairings will be an integral part of all meals.
Your host, Isabelle Legeron, has been cited as being the "most innovative women in food and drink” (Fortune), and "one of the 50 most influential French people in the world” (Vanity Fair).
The special guest, Chef Shigeru Nakaminato, is renowned for his innovative approach to Japanese cuisine, his passion for seasonal ingredients, and his ingenious ability to create unique and harmonious dishes.
"We are extremely proud to have Isabelle from the RAW WINE community with us here in Sicily for this extraordinary and unique week long retreat dedicated to natural wines and authentic cuisine. We have a shared vision and respect for low-intervention agriculture, sustainable production methods, pure flavours and exceptional wines, and are looking forward to letting you experience it first-hand.
"For the first time we are hosting a retreat with a Japanese Omakase chef and are thrilled to be able to juxtapose our home-made, authentic cuisine with that of a renowned chef from such a different culinary tradition. We are particularly excited to combine Sicilian seafood traditions with omakase style cuisine, all matched with Sicilian wines."
Jon Moslet, owner of Rocca delle Tre Contrade
Meet your host, Isabelle
Isabelle Legeron is one of only 421 Masters of Wine (MW) in the world, and France’s first female MW.
Very early in her career, Isabelle made a conscious decision to dedicate her work to helping people think about what is in their wine glass and to promoting the need for transparency in the wine world. In 2012, she founded RA, which has since grown to become a global phenomenon and the world’s largest community of low-intervention organic, biodynamic and natural wine producers. Its activities include international fairs, a wine club and an online shop. She is also the acclaimed author of "Natural Wine: An Introduction to organic and biodynamic wines" and a curator for a variety of fine dining establishments and luxury resorts.
This is what she says about the chance to host a retreat dedicated to Sicilian wines:
“Sicily is an island with an extraordinary wealth of winemaking traditions, diverse terroirs and indigenous grape varieties, and I have long been a fan since I first visited the island some 15 years ago, spending time with my good winemaking friends based there. It’s a place with so many different identities that marries beautifully sophistication and simplicity.
"During this week, we will take a deep dive into the rich heritage of the island and explore a vibrant natural wine scene awash with incredible wines. I will introduce you to my favourite producers and with them we will share the experience around the table, pairing their wines with the cuisine of Chef Shigeru and examples of local Sicilian dishes prepared by the magnificent Tre Contrade house chef Dora.
"Shigeru is a true bon vivant - gregarious, approachable and brilliant fun and I love his food. It is delicate, creative and always puts the freshness and purity of ingredients first, so I can’t wait to taste his Sicily-inspired creations. It will really be a wonderfully wild week I’m sure. Kampai!"
“I have long been an admirer of Isabelle’s energy and determination. She is a real power house with an international reputation and has truly achieved something hugely distinctive.” Jancis Robinson
“Standard bearer for the natural wine movement, Legeron is one of the 50 most powerful women in wine.” The Drinks Business magazine
Meet Chef Shigeru Nakaminato
Shigeru's culinary philosophy and cooking style blends traditional Japanese flavors with international influences, emphasizing the importance of using high-quality, locally sourced raw materials. His seasonal Japanese dishes are made with fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and his own farm, and are carefully crafted to showcase the beauty of natural ingredients and the art of Japanese cuisine.
His Tokyo-based restaurant Bunon, located in a beautifully restored traditional Japanese house in Nishi-Azabu, is a hub for natural wine enthusiasts and foodies alike and he has collaborated with esteemed chefs and restaurants worldwide, including Yoji Tokuyoshi, former sous chef at Osteria Francescana.
Shigeru will be holding several seafood master classes during the week, tapping into local seasonal ingredients from the sea and from the villa's own vegetable garden. Alongside the villa's chef Dora, Shigeru will guide you through hands-on cooking classes, exploring the intersection where Japan meets Sicily. You'll forage for seasonal produce, learn about Japanese and Sicilian specialities, fuse the flavours of both culinary traditions, and match the resulting dishes with some of Sicily's renowned natural wines.
Meet Dora
Rocca delle Tre Contrade's brilliant, enthusiastic chef, Dora, is from the local town of Giarre. She has been cooking practically ever since she could walk, when she would follow her grandmother into the kitchen to "help". A few years later, she began working with her mother in the family’s Sicilian rotisserie.
Always with a smile on her face, Dora has a flair, generosity and passion for food that is contagious. Her cooking is a multi-sensory spectacle of authentic tastes, flavours and aromas, and watching her transform the fresh produce that is brought in every day from the nearby markets and from Rocca delle Tre Contrade's own kitchen garden, is a sight to behold.
Her specialities include exquisite raw seafood dishes, which unbeknown to most have actually been served for generations along these shores, mouthwatering roast vegetable dishes, fish and meat secondi, arancini al ragù (the archetypical Sicilian street food), and cannoli with fresh sweetened ricotta.
“Dora stepped in to teach us how to make arancini, cannoli, almond semifreddo, and the heavenly cakes that were always available for guests to snack on.” Food & Wine magazine
“Dora stepped in to teach us how to make arancini, cannoli, almond semifreddo, and the heavenly cakes that were always available for guests to snack on.”
Food & Wine magazine, September 2020
Highlights and experiences
Introduction to low intervention wines in Sicily, the main regions and its grape varieties, with specific wine pairings by Isabelle with the objective of introducing the island and its wine scene.
Learn about Sicily's emerging wine scene and its indigenous grapes through daily themed wine tastings and lessons, including participating in the wine harvest on Etna. Meet a handful of Sicilian wine producers face to face and taste their wines while listening to their personal stories. Introduction to what to look for in Sicilian wines (both for collectors, wine lovers, Sicily repeat visitors and those visiting the island for the first time).
Taste the authentic flavours of Japanese and Sicilian food through daily gourmet meals around the villa's communal table, for lunch, aperitif and dinner, with wine pairings by Isabelle Legeron, and enjoy local markets and rustic lunches, as well as exclusive visits to boutique wineries, experiencing the wine harvest.
Learn how to cook Sicilian specialties such as cannolo, arancini and caponata.
You will also have time to enjoy the infinite, luxurious charms of Rocca delle Tre Contrade, relaxing in the gardens, strolling through the lemon orchards, swimming in the pool, recuperating energies with a massage, or even playing a set or two of tennis on the property's clay court.
During the week of the retreat, there'll be five main wine focuses:
Wines from western Sicily
Winemaker: Nino Barraco: "My idea is not to create a 'perfect' wine, but a wine that pours emotions!"
Wine from Mount Etna and the volcanic minor islands
Winemaker: Alice Bonaccorsi of Valcerasa, plus wines from Salina and Pantelleria
Excursion: Private visit to the Valcerasa winery on Mount Etna, which produces low-intervention wines. You'll learn about the fertile volcanic soil and microclimates, and as it will be vendemmia-time (the harvest), you'll be able to see the vineyard as a hive of activity, and gain insights into the cultivation, the picking (by hand, as has been the tradition for centuries), and the pressing of the grapes. Then, after a little foraging, you'll have the opportunity to make fresh sheep's ricotta cheese while enjoying an al fresco picnic lunch under the vineyard's mulberry tree.
Wines from southern and central Sicily
Winemakers: Arianna Occhipinti, Giusto Occhipinti, Lamoresca and Salvatore Marino
Excursion: a wine harvest lunch in the region of Ragusa, home to indigenous grapes such as frappato and nero d'Avola. You'll meet legendary winemaker Giusto Occhipinti of COS, who pioneered the use of terracotta amphora in Sicily, and visit Arianna Occhipinti, who, inspired by her uncle, embarked on a remarkable winemaking career of her own.
Skin contact
Winemaker: Francesco Guccione: "The farmer's approach needs to be that of an artist, with the ability to listen to what his vineyard is telling him."
"Extreme" Etna
Winemakers: Sonia Gambino (Gustinella) and Frank Cornelissen
Excursion: a return to Mount Etna, but this time proceeding directly to one of the most remote and high altitude wine-producing areas in Europe. Around the town of Maletto, grapes have been grown on small plots at an altitude of up to 1,300m above sea level. Traditionally the wine produced was only for the personal us of local families. You'll meet Sonia Gambino and hear her incredible personal story about how she, as a young winemaker, settled in her grandfather's town of birth, discovered abandoned wild vineyards, and turned her hand to breathing new life into the area's viticultural traditions back to life.
your Accommodation at Rocca delle Tre Contrade
Rocca delle Tre Contrade occupies a stunningly panoramic position atop its own hill on Sicily’s east coast. Uninterrupted 360-degree views take in the sparkling Ionian Sea to one side and the fertile flanks and lava peak of Mount Etna to the other. The views of this former aristocratic estate are further enhanced by the intense greens and citrus flashes of the villa’s grounds, which feature lemon groves, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens. The magnificence of Mother Nature is rivalled only the amenities on offer, which include delightfully refurbished, generously proportioned interiors, 12 luxuriously finished en-suite bedrooms, a spectacular 25-metre, south-facing infinity pool (ranked one the 100 most beautiful pools in the world by Condé Nast Traveller), a clay tennis court, and a spa area, including a steam room (hammam) and a well-equipped gym.
Close by is Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano (a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site), Taormina, Catania, and a host of other fascinating towns, many of which are also designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The culinary excellence and welcoming hospitality of Rocca delle Tre Contrade has been mentioned by Food & Wine magazine (US), The Daily Telegraph (UK), The Times (UK), BBC Good Food magazine (UK), Elle magazine (UK), House & Garden (UK) magazine, Bon Appetit magazine (US), Foodism magazine (UK) and The Sophisticated Traveller (AUS).
*Please note that the closest airport to Rocca delle Tre Contrade is Catania International Airport in Sicily.
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