Surface area 2.5 ha.
Natural since 2016

About the winemaker
Francesco Ferreri and his wife Nicoletta founded Tanca Nica in 2016, producing their first vintage in 2017 on the striking volcanic island of Pantelleria, just off the coast of Tunisia. While this Mediterranean outpost is best known in the natural wine community thanks to the enigmatic winemaker Gabrio Bini, Tanca Nica is quickly carving out its own path well on the way to becoming the next star among European natural wine producers from Pantelleria.

Francesco’s journey in wine started at just 14 years old, eventually leading him to study oenology at the viticulture school in Conegliano, Veneto. He later earned degrees in Trento and Udine, and immersed himself in winery cellars across Veneto and Friuli, gaining invaluable experience in vinification. Later, Francesco and Nicoletta broadened their horizons in Hungary and New Zealand, where they deepened their commitment to biodynamic winemaking and sustainable viticulture.

The estate was born from a desire to reconnect with their roots. Though Francesco’s father was a sailor rather than a vigneron, the family always tended a half-hectare of vines on Pantelleria a tradition that has now become Tanca Nica’s foundation as a small-scale, artisan winery.

About the vineyard
The estate now covers 2.5 hectares, and true to local tradition they cultivate not only grapes but also oregano and capers. They farm 12 distinct plots, each with its own combination of vines and varying ages. Tanca Nica broadly distinguishes between two main soil types that shape their organic vineyards: “soki soki” a stony, sandy terrain and what Francesco calls “strong earth”: red earth and clay, made up mainly of basalt, and remarkably rich in iron and aluminum.

About the wines
Tanca Nica has been dedicated to natural wine from the outset, guided by Francesco and Nicoletta’s shared belief that true terroir expression can only be captured without intervention and the addition of correction agents. No sulphites are used at any stage of the process, except for select cuvées in certain vintages where a homeopathic dose never more than 15–20 mg/L total is added. The wines are tributes to Pantelleria’s native grape varieties and time-honored methods: Zibibbo is used for whites, oranges, and dessert wines; Catarratto, Pignatello, and Inzolia find their place in the rosé. Tanca Nica also crafts the island’s traditional passito, a luscious sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes left to raisin right in the vineyards. Vines as old as 90 years lend the wines exceptional force and character. Tanca Nica’s range marries tradition with the evolving culture of wine, but it is always nature and its vitality that is placed firmly at the heart of their work.

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