Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria 2017
A wine so special, I was almost too intimidated to write about it.
Every now and then, you come across a wine so special that it feels almost too intimidating to write about. How do you capture the impact a bottle – one that feels genuinely magnificent – had on you in a short review?
The simple answer: you can’t.
Since first trying the Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria 2017, I’ve sat with my thoughts for about a year. I’ve long admired Donnafugata as a brand. It’s more than just a winery — it transcends the wine industry itself. Through art, culture, and sustainability, it explores not only wine but how we taste, experience, and perceive it. Now, in this new era of Female Original, as a platform centred on taste, culture and the experiences that shape us, it finally feels right to talk about this very special bottle from an even more special producer.
Discovering Donnafugata
My first experience of the Donnafugata brand came as a Christmas gift from my brother: a bottle of their La Bella Sedàra 2022. When he handed it to me, he admitted that while the liquid itself sounded brilliant, he’d chosen it mostly because he loved the label – and I immediately understood why.
La Bella Sedàra 2022 is adorned with an illustration of Angelica Sedàra, played by Claudia Cardinale, in Il Gattopardo (The Leopard, 1963). Across her portrait sits the landscape of the Contessa Entellina estate, where the wine is made. The countryside and Angelica’s face almost merge, as if the landscape and character are intertwined. The label tells the story of the vineyard, its beautiful terroir, and Donnafugata’s deep connection to its Sicilian roots with clarity. It was my first experience of noticing just how interlaced place, culture, and sustainability are in Donnafugata’s world.
Donnafugata: art, culture and Sicilian heritage
La Bella Sedàra is just the beginning of Donnafugata. It’s often seen as an entry point to their collection, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a beautifully balanced red wine, wrapped in a label that lays out everything that the brand stands for – an invitation to not only enjoy the wine but dive deeper into their story.
One look at the Donnafugata website confirms it: a deep connection to Sicily, collaborations with Italian artists, strong family values, and a commitment to respecting the environment and the people who work within it. It’s a truly inspiring brand that goes far beyond simply making delicious wine.
From entry point to icon
If La Bella Sedàra is an introduction to Donnafugata, Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria 2017 feels like the epitome of everything the brand stands for – knowledge, love for its environment and passion. Made on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, Ben Ryé’s vines endure constant sun, wind, and minimal rainfall. Combine that with a low planting density and the super-tough conditions to grow the grapes for this wine. However, it’s a high-risk, high-reward situation. This low planting density means that the native Zibibbo grape has plenty of space for its vines to thrive, even in harsh conditions. In fact, the vines are trained in shallow hollows (or conche), spreading almost horizontally across the ground to withstand the island’s relentless winds.
The result is a wine shaped by both nature and meticulous care. Ben Ryé’s production is tiny, just 3,717 bottles, and it’s considered one of Donnafugata’s most iconic releases. Its rarity, intensity, and distinctive style demanded respect, making it all the more intimidating before I even poured a glass.
Tasting Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria 2017
I felt ill-equipped to talk about this bottle. Its status, limited production, and the fact that it belonged to a style of wine I knew very little about all contributed to that sense of hesitation. It’s that familiar moment when gaining a little knowledge only highlights just how much you don’t know – and overthinking takes over. For a while, I let that stop me from saying anything at all. But eventually, I decided to break the pattern and share my experience anyway.
I’d sat on this bottle for probably six months before I even tried it, telling myself it was for a “special occasion.” Oh! How many times have we done that? In the end, I opened it on a sunny April afternoon – a special occasion of sorts, at least by UK standards.
On pouring, I immediately knew how extraordinary this wine was going to be. Dark garnet, silky in the glass, and deep – its presence was unmistakable. The aromas carried for what felt like metres: raisins, stewed apricots, syrup, honey cake, toasted nuts – just a handful of the scents and flavours I experienced. It had serious depth.
The Ben Ryé 2017 bottle is understated yet elegant, its design reflecting the Pantellerian landscape and the care that goes into the wine itself. Like all Donnafugata labels, it’s more than packaging – it’s a piece of art, expressing the winery’s commitment to culture, place, and beauty. While it doesn’t tell a story quite as explicitly as La Bella Sedàra, the bottle communicates a respect for craft before you even pour a glass.
A wine worth waiting for
In the end, Ben Ryé 2017 is more than just a beautiful dessert wine. It embodies Donnafugata – its vineyard, its craft, and its history. Spending time with it, I understood why these wines demand respect: they ask you to slow down, to pay attention, and to connect with the story in every bottle.
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