Born and raised in a family of winemakers, Federico Curtaz is originally from Piedmont, where his grandparents owned old Barbera vineyards in the Monferrato area. Following in their footsteps, he studied Viticulture & Oenology in Piedmont and began his career working for the prestigious Angelo Gaja in Barbaresco, for an impressive tenure of approximately fifteen years. Since then, he has travelled and worked as a consultant across Italy sharing his expertise, including several collaborations in Sicily with the likes of Gancia, Pupillo, Graffetta, and Centopassi. Sicily ended up capturing his heart, charmed by the incredible beauty of this land, and captivated with the islands unique and diverse viticultural heritage, he made Sicily his home and producing wine here his life’s work.

Federico launched his own eponymous brand in 2014, a passion project, meticulously sourcing select parcels of native grapes and entrusting a local family winery to produce the wines, but with full creative direction over the winemaking. More recently, he has acquired his own vineyards in Noto, the southernmost reaches of Sicily, as well as on the northern slopes of the majestic Mount Etna and continues to rent some beautiful old vineyards on the southern slopes of Etna.

Curtaz has big plans for the future, including building his own winemaking facility in Milo, on the eastern side of the volcano. Presently, his portfolio offers four exceptional wines. The Gamma, an Etna Bianco sourced from the villages of Milo and Biancavilla, exclusively featuring the Carricante grape variety. Kudos, an Etna Bianco Superiore derived from the esteemed Rinazzo vineyard, also composed entirely of Carricante. Il Purgatorio, an Etna Rosso, made through the harmonious blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grapes, drawing its name from the ancient Contrada of Biancavilla. Finally, Ananke, a 100% Nero D'Avola, made from the fruit of his vineyards in Noto.