A few words about me

My name is Marilena Barbera and I am a winegrower.
I live and make my wines in Menfi, on the south-western coast of Siciliy.

My family has been farming these vineyards for generations. The first vines were planted by my grandfather in the 1920s, and since then this land has never stopped being at the centre of our life.

As a child I dreamed of becoming a diplomat. After graduating in Political Science in Florence and spending a few years studying and working away from Sicily, the pull of home eventually became stronger.

I returned to Menfi to take care of the family winery. At first I focused mainly on sales and relationships with clients and importers; later, after my father's sudden passing, I also began to follow closely the work in the vineyards and the making of the wines, which soon became my whole life.

Today Cantine Barbera fully reflects my choices and the way I work: I make my wines in Menfi and, between a racking and the next bottling, I continue to travel around the world, because I believe that wine is the best ambassador for the place it comes from.