Sicily has been producing wine for almost 4,000 years – but it’s never been as varied or interesting as it is today—and it continues to push the boundaries in flavor and variety.
Sicilian wine stems from a strong sense of duty toward the land and the people of Sicily. It celebrates the contrasts of the land and shares them with the world. Wines have become expressive of the land.
According to Greek legend, it was Dionysus, the god of wine himself, who planted the first vineyard at Naxos. Archaeologists have discovered evidence that Sicilians were drinking wine as far back as the 17th century BC, long before the Greeks arrived in the eighth century. But at no point in Sicily’s millennia-long history of viniculture has the world been so interested in what’s being produced.
Today, Sicily is Italy’s biggest wine making region, with 100,000 hectares of vineyard producing 30 per cent of Italy’s wine and more wine than all of New Zealand. It’s also one of Europe’s most exciting wine regions, and business is booming. These new wines are a far cry from Marsala, and from the heavy-bodied, high-alcohol product that was once used to bulk up anemic reds from other regions, which the island had become known for during the decades following the 1950s. By 1987, just over 76 per cent of the wine produced in Sicily was bulk wine.
Sicily’s status as an oenophile’s dream destination really began to take hold in the 1990s and early 2000s as a new generation of producers caught onto the region’s excellent winemaking conditions – a variety of microclimates, altitudes, and soils. In 2011, DOC (denomination of confirmed origin) was introduced, a legal wine designation that identifies wine produced in its area of designation – from Cerasuolo di Vittoria from the region of Ragusa, to Passito from Pantelleria.
Drive across Sicily, and the changing landscape is astonishing – from arid vistas and rocky outcrops that look like they come straight out of an old Western, to lush green vineyards, groves of silvery olive trees punctuated by colorful wildflowers, and black volcanic plains. It’s not surprising that many Sicilian winemakers refer to the island as a continent, so different are the various terrains.
While 90 per cent of the island’s vineyard area is located in western Sicily, it’s the volcanic region of Etna that is attracting the most attention globally with mineral-rich reds. A decade ago, there were just 10 producers in the region. Today, there are close to 130, producing around 1.5 million bottles annually.
As much as Sicily’s wine industry has changed over the past three decades, some things remain the same. Many wineries continue to harvest by hand – even the largest, like Donnafugata – and the conditions mean it’s fairly easy to grow grapes organically.
One thing that is changing is the wine industry’s approach to tourism. As Sicilian wines gain increasing global attention, visitors are flocking to the island in ever greater numbers expressly to visit the wineries. As a result, several wine paths – such as Catania’s path from Fiumefreddo to Piedimonte Etneo or the path from Sant’Alfio to Trecastagni and Viagrande – are being actively promoted and many wineries are expanding to offer accommodation, dedicated tasting and food pairing.
At Donnafugata winery, sustainability is integral to the winery’s ethos, and in 2008 they introduced a night harvest, which negates the need for cooling the grapes and resulted in a 70 per cent energy saving.
At the Cottanera winery, the vineyards are located on the northern slope of the volcanic Mount Etna, 700m above sea level, where they grow over mineral-rich lava stone without any irrigation. Most of the work is carried out by hand by a team of 25 women, who also harvest the grapes, as is the tradition in Etna. It’s like family.
Barone di Villagrande, one of the oldest wineries in Etna, has a history that can be traced back to 1726.
Valle Dell’Acate winery focuses on the traditional grapes of Sicily. There are seven different soils on the estate, each used to produce a distinct grape variety. In a project titled “Seven Soils for Seven Wines”, Valle Dell’Acate is creating a profile of each soil and how it impacts the grapes.
Wine helps the world understand Sicily, from it’s ash to it’s heart. Are you ready for a taste?
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