There are places where the line between a vineyard and paradise blurs into something unrepeatable. La Foresteria Planeta, nestled in the sun-drenched hills of Menfi on Sicily's southwestern coast, is exactly that. The Planeta family — custodians of Sicily's wine renaissance for over five centuries — transformed an old family residence here into a dreamy 14-room wine resort where infinity pools meet endless vines and the Mediterranean Sea glimmers on the horizon. August in Sicily is peak heat, peak light, peak life. And what better way to surrender to it than with a chilled bottle of rosé, poolside, watching the afternoon dissolve into gold?
The Sicilian sun is relentless in the best way — the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones. I'm stretched across a cream sunbed, the infinity pool rippling turquoise before me, a sheer white linen cover-up barely grazing my shoulders. Beside me, a silver ice bucket cradles the 2024 Planeta Rosé Sicilia DOC — pale coppery-pink, glistening with condensation. The first sip hits like a secret: mandarin blossom, wild strawberries, a whisper of crushed shells and saline breeze. The vineyards roll toward the sea, olive trees dotting the landscape like old friends. This is August in Sicily, and I'm not sure I ever want to leave.
The water is the perfect temperature — cool enough to refresh, warm enough to linger. I wade to the infinity edge, glass in hand, the pale pink wine catching the late afternoon light. This is the magic of La Foresteria: the pool edge dissolves into vineyard rows, which dissolve into the distant blue of the Mediterranean. There's no barrier between you and the horizon. I lift the glass, the rosé's crisp salinity a perfect echo of the sea breeze. Sun flare dances across the lens. For a moment, suspended between water and sky, I feel like the only person in Sicily.
The sun drops low and the sky ignites — oranges bleeding into pinks, then deep Sicilian purples. I've slipped into a flowing white linen dress, the evening breeze soft against sun-kissed skin. The poolside cabana glows with candlelight. On the table, a bottle of Planeta Cometa Fiano 2023 breathes beside two crystal glasses. This is the wine that made Planeta's reputation: 100% Fiano, an ancient noble variety, fermented in stainless steel and aged on lees. It opens with honeyed apricot, quince, and a brush of sweet butter — 93 points from Vinous, and every one of them earned. I swirl, inhale, taste. The pool reflects the dying light like a mirror. Some moments are too beautiful to rush.
💋 Sicily has a way of stealing your heart one sip at a time. I've left a glass of Cometa breathing by the pool — don't keep it waiting too long. Next week? Let's just say I'm heading somewhere where the vines grow on volcanic slopes and the wines taste like smoke and starlight. See you there, darling.
Photography: Sofie for Beauty & the Wine | Location: La Foresteria Planeta, Menfi, Sicily | August 2026
