APRIL – Vinitaly: an anti-stress Decalogue. The golden rules that will ensure that the Donnafugata staff at Vinitaly will be in top form; all the precautions to take to survive the fatigues of the five days in Verona; from hand luggage to clothing and from the diet to the sleep that is absolutely essential.
APRIL – Aperivino. Wine and music in a high tech architectural space for the most alternative evening Vinitaly has to offer. Aperivino is held for the first time in the most unusual venue: the giant “cool room” of the ex Magazzini Generali (old warehouses) in Verona, built in 1930.
APRIL – Donnafugata & Slow Food. Donnafugata supports new Slow Food projects of the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche and the Banca del Vino and confirms its collaboration with the Foundation for Biodiversity and the Master of Food program.
APRIL – Donnafugata and Academia Barilla. The Sicilian estate’s wines are chosen to celebrate the success of Italy’s wines and foods worldwide and the commitment to the promotion of quality products. Donnafugata in Parma at the celebration of the birth of Academia Barilla as an international center devoted to defending and promoting Italy’s culinary specialties.
MAY – Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars). A record number of visitors at Donnafugata estate of Contessa Entellina and at the historical cellars of Marsala: 2,000 in a single day.
JUNE – Donnafugata at MiWine. A new challenge in tackling the most demanding markets. Giacomo Rallo “At MiWine, we’ll map out a world strategy for Italian premium wines. Territory and more communications to win the battle with competing countries.”
JUNE – Journey To Donnafugata. A multi-sensory experience of wine, music and literature. At the MiWine exposition in Milan, Donnafugata stages a “Journey to Donnafugata,” an excursion among great red wines, Angheli, Tancredi and Mille e una Notte and music, jazz, accompanied by José Rallo as narrator, that concludes with the tasting of a chocolate flavored with hot red pepper and accompanied by Mille e una Notte, the inspired creation of maître chocolatier Ernst Knam.
AUGUST – Wine, literature and cinema in the land of the Gattopardo. The Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Literary Prize goes to author Tahar Ben Jelloun; Claudia Cardinale, mistress of ceremonies for the award, guest of Donnafugata for the presentation of the 2004 nocturnal harvest.
AUGUST – “Calici di Stelle” at Donnafugata. The great celebration of premium wines: 2,000 visitors at Donnafugata’s Estate of Contessa Entellina. The nocturnal harvest after Ferragosto (August 15) because of a delay in the ripening of the Chardonnay grapes.
OCTOBER – Donnafugata for the Heart. Donnafugata Music & Wine has become a CD whose distribution will provide support for the activities of the cardiovascular surgeon Carlo Marcelletti. The Blue Note of Milan has embraced the project and hosted on October 11 to the presentation concert: an unforgettable emotional event. Important fund-raising reached in five months: 80.000 euros.
DECEMBER – Discovering Entella. A new path fitted out with a series of panels pointing out and commenting on the attractions of an archaeological zone at Entella was inaugurated in ceremonies held on December 7. The University “Scuola Normale Superiore” of Pisa created the panels in collaboration with DonnafugataThe Giuseppe Nenci Award was presented by José Rallo to Jonathan Prag of London University, who discussed a thesis explored in his doctoral thesis about ancient Sicily.