There is a place where the sea is not just a boundary, but a constant beat that punctuates life. In that black pearl of just 8 square kilometres, the island that myth says was home to the sorceress Circe, the silence of the wind meets the force of the earth. It is here, in the heart of the Tyrrhenian Sea, that theHibiscus Farm, the only winery in Ustica. It is not just a company: it is an act of love, a garrison of resistance, the dream of a woman and her partner, who have chosen to listen to the call of their roots.
Leading it are Margherita Longo and Vito Barbera. Their story has the flavour of awareness: agronomists, with a secure future for her at the Ministry of Agriculture and for him as a researcher in Rome, they have chosen to leave their desks and laboratories, as well as the chaos of the capital, to return to where it all began, taking up the baton from their father Longo, also an agronomist, who in the 1980s had the vision of bottling the soul of the island when no one believed in it yet.
Today Margherita, together with Vito, transforms toil into poetry. A small production where every sip tells of volcanic soils and salt spray. Alongside the wines, the production of Ustica lentils (Slow Food Presidium) and EVO oil, the latter produced on their own land in Trapani.
How does this adventure begin?
The company was founded by my family. Towards the end of the 1970s, my parents planted the first vineyards. My father was also an agronomist, and together with my mother, who is originally from Brescia, after working for years in Turin, they decided to return to Ustica which, I remind you, has a long winemaking tradition. What was made in the past was peasant wine, made in a simple way, which was used by the locals. In the 1960s there were many more people here in Ustica and personal wine consumption was substantial. So it was my father who put the wine in bottles, at a time when bulk wine was widespread, and he brought his vision back to Ustica, thanks to the experience he had gained in Piedmont: a more modern viticulture to give voice to this land of rare beauty.
The choice to live and work in Ustica?
I am originally from Ustica. After secondary school, I moved to Palermo to attend high school first and university later. Having won a competition at the Ministry of Agriculture as an agronomist, I moved to Rome. With me also my partner Vito, also an agronomist, working in the capital in the field of university research. So we moved to Rome for work, but after a period of living in this big city, the desire to return to our land was stronger. We packed our bags and changed our lives. It wasn't easy, especially for Vito who is originally from Trapani: living on a small island means coming to terms with isolation and the rhythms of the sea. Fifteen years have passed; we have modernised the cellar, invested in technology, but the heart has remained the same. Every time I look at our vineyards, I know it was worth it.
We often talk about 'heroic viticulture'. What does it mean to you on a daily basis?
It means wrestling with the sea. Every spare part, every cork, every carton has to brave the waves to get here. We manage three hectares of vineyard broken up into twenty tiny pieces of land: an immense physical and economic effort, where the machine does not arrive and man must do everything. But nature knows how to repay you. When you see the vine growing on that black soil, the return in terms of enthusiasm is an energy that cannot be explained in words. It is pure passion.
Which wines do you produce?
I only produce five labels: a rosé made from Nero d'Avola and Syrah, a white wine made from pure Grillo grapes, another white blend of Catarratto and Inzolia, and then, of course, Zibibibbo, which has always been cultivated on the island and which is vinified in a dry version and a passito. All wines that reflect the volcanic nature of the soils, the proximity to the sea and the biodiversity of the landscape. The dry Zibibbo 'Grotta dell'Oro' is the flagship label; it has a freshness that makes it pleasant. About 17 thousand bottles are produced per year. All production takes place on the island, including bottling (with a mobile bottling machine).
Ustica is not just wine. It is home, friendships, relationships
Without the community we could not exist. Here we help each other, we support each other. Our fellow villagers rejoice in our successes because they know that, through our wine, we are telling the world about the beauty and dignity of Ustica. We are not alone, we are part of a mosaic.
A wish for this 2026?
Our project for this new year is to accompany our production activity with a more structured wine tourism activity, allowing people to experience our history. There is no greater emotion than to see the wonder in the eyes of those who taste a glass while looking at the horizon where the sky merges with the sea. I wish every guest could feel the life force of these volcanic soils. It is that intensity that we try to put into every single bottle.
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