Benanti

Sicily, Italy

Biographies

  • Antonio Benanti - Owner

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    Antonio was born at the foot of the Etna volcano, in Catania, Sicily, in May 1974. He is married to Sabrina, also from Sicily, whom he met in New York. Together, they have a one year old beautiful daughter called Matilda Ines (born in New York!) and a three year old Golden Retriever called Frankie.

    After childhood in Sicily, Antonio moved to Switzerland in 1989, at age 15, to attend the International School of Geneva. The year before, in 1988, his father Giuseppe, a chemist by degree, founded Benanti Winery, reviving an old family tradition, with the ambition to make very fine wine on the beautiful slopes of one of the world’s most active and tallest volcanos.

    In 1992, at the aged of 18, Antonio moved to London, England, to study Business Administration and then worked for five years in the financial sector, before earning a Master degree in Business Administration at the Imperial College, also in London.

    After a total of 15 years spent abroad, Antonio returned to Sicily for good at age 34 and started working alongside his father, a visionary of many interests and talents. Back then, Benanti had already achieved some remarkable notoriety and recognition among connoisseurs and his involvement with its activities happened very naturally, out of pride and passion.

    Together with his twin brother Salvino, he assumed ownership and leadership of the winery in 2012. That year, the Benanti family decided to focus its entrepreneurial efforts exclusively on the winery. The last eleven years have seen the Benanti brothers develop the winery on all fronts and help it gain a very solid international reputation, certainly building upon the foundations laid by their father Giuseppe but also bringing their own vision. Their aim is to make Benanti one of the finest wineries in the Old World.

    Antonio also served as President of the prestigious Etna DOC Consortium between 2018 and 2021. He is a certified sommelier and a WSET3 candidate.

    Antonio, Sabrina, Matilda Ines and Frankie are fond of traveling, mountain hiking, beautiful islands and New York City.