Planeta is one of Sicily's largest and best-known producers. It holds a place in the history of modern Sicilian winemaking somewhat akin to the influence that Robert Mondavi and his winery had on late 20th century California winemaking. Planeta was founded in the 1980s by cousins Alessio and Santi Planeta, and their uncle Diego Planeta. Diego had spent a lifetime leading a wine cooperative -- and the family had been farmers and grape growers for many generations -- but the trio decided to go out on their own, and other family members later joined. Today Planeta Winery owns five estates and more than 1,000 acres of vineyards positioned throughout Sicily. Planeta makes wines from indigenous grapes, and imported varietals, such as Chardonnay and Merlot. Planeta is known for the high quality of its wines and its commitment to agricultural sustainability, and it has won nearly thirty 3 glass awards from Gambero Rosso, putting it in a rarified pantheon of premier Italian producers. In 2016 Gambero Rosso's reviewer wrote this: "We are not amazed so much by the quality and extraordinary elegance of the wines, since this is something Planeta has accustomed us to since the first bottlings, but by the fact that every bottle embodies the essence of its terroir and variety."