Viticulture in Sicily

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Vineyards of the Cantine Settesoli in Menfi, Province of Agrigento

The viticulture in Sicily presents with 112,700 hectares of vineyards, the largest wine region of Italy. In addition to the island of Sicily, this also includes the southwestern island of Pantelleria and the northeastern Aeolian Islands . In quality viticulture ( DOP wines), Sicily is only 9th in the national ranking with 11,985 hectares. The first and only DOCG- classified wine has been around since September 2005 . There are 23 DOC wines in Sicily, but they only make up about five percent of the total vineyard area. There are excellent country wines ( IGTs ). A special feature is the establishment of the DOC Sicily (since the wine year 2012), which includes the area of ​​the entire island and may appear on the label as the addition "Sicilia". In this way, the Sicilian origin can also be made clear in the less well-known DOC appellations. The best-known manufacturers include Corvo and Regaleali. However, the majority of the winegrowers remain nameless. Only a quarter of the total production is bottled on the island. Many of the 50 cooperatives often do not have their own bottling plants, so that the Sicilian wines are ultimately not bottled as wines from Sicily. Despite the good potential, the Sicilian winemakers recognized later than those on the mainland the chances of growing quality wines, which is therefore still on the upswing. Sicily is a region of Italy that is home to extraordinary areas such as the volcanic island of Pantelleria or the Etna slopes (Etna Rosso).

Sicily is the largest wine-growing region in Italy, but until the mid-1990s the island was primarily known abroad for the alcohol-fortified sweet wine Marsala . Only a dozen companies exported their wines. And when interest in fortified wines fell worldwide , it was difficult to adapt to the changed realities. After initially focusing on the cultivation of international grape varieties, the winemakers later rediscovered local grape varieties, especially the Nero d'Avola . Today it is the most important and best-known wine on the island in many markets. A positive development can be expected for the future. The general site conditions in Sicily are very good for wine. There are already individual, small productions of less well-known regional grape varieties that should arouse the interest of wine lovers. Accordingly, their sticks are already being increased and areas are planted with them.

Geography and climate

The 23 regions with controlled designation of origin ( DOC ) are spread far apart, mainly in the western end, the northeast with the high-altitude cultivation around Etna , whose climates and soils are so complex that they alone produce very different types of wine. The south, on the other hand, is hot and African.

history

In 1860 petrified grapevines were discovered in Sicily, which were formed a few million years ago. The first winemakers were Greek colonists who lived in the 8th century BC. Landed in Sicily. They began with the cultivation of the existing wild vines and also introduced the type of vine training that is still used today, the cultivation in the form of small trees called Alberello. In ancient times , Syracuse and Taormina , the big cities on Mount Etna , were already flourishing wine trade centers. Sicily was ruled by constantly changing powers as a base for shipping and trade. After the Phoenicians , Greeks and Carthaginians in antiquity, there were also groups of Vandals , Ostrogoths , Byzantines and Arabs in the Middle Ages who did not grow wine in their homeland . Sicily was often treated as subordinate by the foreign rulers. The infrastructure is difficult to this day. In 1773, John Woodhouse shipped the first fortified wines from Marsala to England . The success story of the Marsala, which won large market shares in the British Isles, had begun. Sicily is the largest wine-growing region in Italy, but until the mid-1990s the island remained known abroad primarily for its alcohol-fortified sweet wine. Only a dozen companies exported their wines, because Sicily's huge wine industry was definitely lacking in dynamism. And when interest in fortified wines fell worldwide, it was difficult to adapt to the changed realities. If the vintners from Australia and Chile hadn't stepped onto Europe's wine stage, that would probably have changed little to this day. Almost overnight, Sicily with its hot and dry climate, which is ideal for viticulture, was celebrated in Italy's wine press as the answer to the increasing competition from the New World. A real euphoria spread, everywhere investments were made in vineyards and cellars , billions in subsidies flowed into agriculture and marketing. At the beginning, however, the focus was on cultivating international grape varieties such as Chardonnay , Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon and processing them to rival the overseas competition , often with a strong taste thanks to aging in new wooden barrels. Only gradually did the winemakers come to the conclusion that it made sense to also focus on domestic plants in order to stand out from the competition as an independent wine world. Here, above all, modern Nero d'Avola came into play. Today, sweet wine only leads a niche existence; for many it is more of a curiosity than a wine alternative. Only a few Marsala houses therefore maintain the historical heritage.

Quality levels and zoning

The DOCG wine in Sicily

Cerasuolo di Vittoria

The 23 DOC wines in Sicily

Alcamo , Contea di Sclafani , Contessa Entellina , Delia Nivolelli , Eloro , Erice , Etna , Faro , Malvasia delle Lipari , Mamertino di Milazzo , Marsala , Menfi , Monreale , Noto , Pantelleria , Riesi , Salaparuta , Sambuca di Sicilia , Santa Margherita di Belice , Sciacca , Sicilia (in all regional areas), Siracusa , Vittoria . (As of 2014) They may be sold with the addition “Sicilia” to clarify their origin. The DOC names are continuously being expanded in Sicily. In October 2012, winegrowers had applied for recognition of the protected origin for a total of 40,000 hectares.

The 7 IGT wines in Sicily

Avola, Camarro, Fontanarossa di Cerda, Salemi, Salina, Terre Siciliane, Valle Belice. (Status 2014) The IGT wines may also print the designation "Terre Siciliane" on the label. So everyone can assign the wines to their origin.

Territoriali

There is also the concept of single-site wines, "territoriali", which winemakers can advertise with a cadastral map on the back label. Those responsible for viticulture policy, in the form of the regional agricultural institute IRVOS, subdivide the spacious and multifaceted island with its small viticulture islands such as Lipari , Salina or Pantelleria into 17 territories. However, these are not the DOC wine-growing regions, but overarching geographical names such as B. Contea di Sclafani, Castelli Nisseni or Piazza Armerina in the center of the island. The area under vines is comparatively small here, and the number of businesses is small. A lot of wheat is grown here, a little forest is still left in the northern part after centuries of systematic exploitation. There are also small, scattered cultivation areas such as the volcanic island of Pantelleria.

Wine types

Despite the hot and dry climate in Sicily, there is significantly more white wine than red wine . This is due to the Marsala, which historically dominated the Sicilian wine market. Since the mid-1990s, however, the proportion of red wine has grown, also because the local and newly arrived wineries have planted international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Syrah . These new plantings are almost all in the west of the island within easy reach of the capital Palermo .

White wines

Catarratto

Above all, the British promoted the rise of the usually fortified sweet wine Marsala. This run is long over, the Catarratto grape , the main ingredient of the wine, is still available in abundance. Many winemakers are now growing dry wines. The Catarratto variety, for example, has large, high-yielding areas under cultivation. Sicily, especially the DOC region Etna , produces more of it than the white wine regions of South Tyrol , Trentino and Friuli put together. There are no current statistical surveys. It is estimated that there are around 40,000 hectares under Catarratto vines. With the help of the cool fermentation that is beneficial to the fruit , the Catarratto results in a fruity white wine. In general, wines from hot regions - especially from the less noble local varieties - mature faster than others. The great heat, which was still an advantage for the Marsala, is not very beneficial for modern white wine production. They wear down the fragile fruit aromas and acidity on the vine.

Grillo

On the other hand, the former Marsala grape variety Grillo tolerates the heat quite well , which is why this was successfully positioned in the market as a dry white wine by some wineries. Other wineries prefer to work with Ansonica (synonym Insolia) or the Grecanico . However, there is no uniform image of Sicilian white wines - except that they come from a hot earth.

Moscato di Pantelleria or Malvasia delle Lipari

For the sweet wine fraction, Sicily has three highly aromatic white dessert wines in store: Moscato di Pantelleria, Moscato di Noto and Malvasia delle Lipari . Individual winegrowers cultivate this cultural asset of the south with success, but apart from the Moscato di Pantelleria, hardly any one achieves production figures that would allow supra-regional marketing.

Red wines

Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Near Ragusa and the town of Vittoria is Cerasuolo di Vittoria created - named after the cherry-red color of young wine. It is a distinctive, fruity red wine with a pleasant acidity. It is made from the grape varieties Nero d'Avola (at least 50… 70%) and Frappato (at most 30… 50%). The frappato in particular gives this wine with its present acidity an appealing play of fruit and the elegance that so many red wines from the south lack. The soil contributes to this: red, iron-containing sand on a limestone bed that begins at a depth of 30 to 40 cm. In combination with the cooling through the Monte Iblei range of hills, the Nero d'Avola grape variety is fresher and more mineral than in the west of the island. So far, however, hardly any wine investor has ventured into the somewhat remote southeast of the island.

Etna Rosso

Even the Greek immigrants cultivated wine on the slopes of the volcano . The agricultural priorities then shifted in modern times to the detriment of viticulture on Etna . It only flourished again in the 19th century thanks to the flourishing trade with the French, Austrians and English. At that time there were vineyards on Etna near Catania that were among the largest on the island. The Europe-wide phylloxera plague at the beginning of the 20th century also brought viticulture to a standstill on the volcano, so that it had to develop from scratch. A trip to the up to 3350 meter high craters of Mount Etna is the attraction in eastern Sicily. Very different terroirs are lined up around the volcano, i.e. site conditions, which in turn lead to very diverse wines. The region owes its fertile soil to its volcanic rock, which is covered with vegetable fields, olive groves and citrus plantations. Viticulture on Etna is also old, but development is currently dynamic. The current renaissance of viticulture on Mount Etna is of course still in its infancy. Common European and Sicilian vines have a hard time in the microclimate of the volcano. The Nero d'Avola vine, for example, would not ripen at all on Etna. Because although it simmers deep down in the earth, it is extremely cool on the slopes due to an extreme temperature gradient between day and night and also the altitude. Reading can usually only be done in October. Ergo, for red wines, the Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio grape varieties , which are traditionally at home here, only grow here and have adapted to the harsh conditions. Outside of Sicily, Etna Rosso is still little known. This is because only a few companies rely on high-quality bottled wine and therefore only small quantities come onto the market. Viticulture has to contend with great technical difficulties. The vineyards climb to a height of 900 meters, are partly extremely steep, especially in the southeast, and are usually surrounded by lavishly piled drywall walls made of lava rock. Only in the area of Randazzo and Passopisciaro does a plateau allow cultivation, but it is mostly very small plots in the barren lava earth. Here as there, the drywall walls protect the precious soil so that it is not washed out by rain and / or carried away by the wind. Such extreme locations and also the Alberello upbringing require a lot of manual work and thus cause high management costs. So it is not surprising that many very interesting steep slopes lie fallow or are overgrown.

Nero d'Avola

Until the end of the last century, Nero d'Avola was pressed almost exclusively as a simple blended wine in Sicily , which should above all deliver as much yield as possible. The success story of Nero d'Avola began in the early 1990s, when the newly blossoming Sicilian wine scene discovered the potential of local grape varieties. The career of Nero d'Avola was made possible by some innovative personalities from the Sicilian wine scene who did pioneering work. The name Diego Planeta, who has been President of Cantine Settesoli in Menfi since 1973, stands for this development. With an annual output of around 20 million bottles and a no less large amount of barrel wines, it is one of the largest winery cooperatives in Europe. Nero d'Avola is currently considered the most important grape variety in Sicily and is there on 18,000 hectares of vineyards (2013). The wines exude aromas of cherries, blackberries and plums, especially around their place of origin Avola and the baroque town of Noto and in the wider region. In addition, there is a Mediterranean herbal spice, also a little pepper. The wine is also a pleasure slightly chilled at high summer temperatures. Nero d'Avola has also made its international breakthrough economically because the prices are moderate. The “principe siciliano”, the Sicilian prince, as the locals like to call the grape variety, is currently (2015) the best known and best Sicilian wine.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Viticulture in figures 2014. (PDF) In: VQPRD d'Italia 2014. federdoc.com, accessed on March 29, 2016 (Italian).
  2. ↑ The great Johnson . Hallwag-Verlag 2009, ISBN 978-3-8338-1621-5 , p. 368
  3. ↑ Production regulations and description of the DOC Sicilia (PDF) cittadelvino.it (Italian)
  4. ↑ Statistics of the umbrella organization of the Italian protection consortia Federdoc (PDF)
  5. ↑ Overview of all IGP and DOP regulations. politicheagricole.it (Italian). Retrieved September 17, 2015
  6. ↑ Interactive map of the territories , on irvos.it, accessed on September 22, 2015
  7. ^ Nero d'Avola from Sicily - The black red from the green island ( Memento from January 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Marcus Hofschuster August 16, 2013 at Wein-Plus .eu, accessed January 6, 2017