ENOLOGIST COTARELLA GIVES THE SICILIAN WINE HARVEST 2007 A FOUR-FIVE STAR RATING. PROFESSOR SCIENZA: “BIODIVERSITY IS THE FUTURE”. SOCIOLOGIST FABRIS: “SICILY IS A MODEL OF HOW TO CHANGE ONE’S IMAGE”

“Elegance, fruit, balance, and organoleptic nobility; it’s a four to five star harvest. 2007 will also be remembered for the reappraisal of production processes that induced high quality Sicilian wine producers to create wines capable of satisfying the new demands of consumers”.
This is the conclusion made by one of the most famous and authoritative enologists in the world, Riccardo Cotarella, on the progress of Sicilian wines (an island that has become a central winemaking region) and of the ratings given by wine enthusiasts for the 2007 harvest (with production registering a decline of 40%).
As for Professor Attilio Scienza, the “Sicilia en Primeur” event, which is a display of the best Sicilian wines (main sponsors: Banca Nuova, VeronaFiere, Istituto Regionale della Vite e del Vino), continues to become increasingly more important on the international wine scene, and he noted that the wines of this region have changed from a “Sicilian style” to “Sicilian style-makers”, or rather, the success of proposing original wines on a globalized market.
“Sicily must propose its many different identities if it wants to distinguish itself internationally” – explained Scienza - Sicily can, thanks to its enormous potential in terms of biodiversity, become a stimulus for other regions in Italy”.
According to Professor Giampaolo Fabris, one of the most esteemed sociologists in Italy, “Sicily is a testimony to how to change one’s image. Achieving success was definitely difficult, but this region was able to do it; now this success must be managed.
An element that could allow Sicily to make a quantitative leap is that of the brand name; a factor that, for now, producers of the island do not appear to think represents a vital issue, considering that today’s consumer is not only more evolved but also unfaithful. For a label to have economic value, it must also have ethical and professional introits”.

Sicily … in Numbers
With a total of 118,000 hectares, 17% of the Italian national total, Sicily is the region with the highest area of productive patrimony. The winemaking sector represents a strategic resource for Sicilian regional agriculture.
Sicily bottles 1.2 million hectoliters of wine, for a total of over 160 million bottles. There are 500 Sicilian wineries, of which 50 are cooperatives or social wineries (of these, 29 surpass production levels of 1 million bottles per year, counting over 73% of total regional production).
There are less than 100 wineries that produce more than 100,000 bottles per year (according to data from the regional Wine and Vine Institute and the Observatory for the Sicilian wine sector at the University of Palermo).
Global exports earned a total of 705,308,064 euros (University of Palermo, Economy Department, Professor Sebastiano Torcivia; torcivia@unipa.it).
The base of Assovini Sicilia (the organization that was created in 1998 and which, today, unites 67 of the top Sicilian winemakers for a more competitive edge on the market) is made up of small, medium, and large winemaking enterprises that represent a regional product-share that surpasses 75% of the total value of bottled Sicilian wine.
This includes almost all of the top names in Sicilian wines that have obtained important recognitions in wine sector events around the world: Planeta, Donnafugata, Tasca d’Almerita, Cusumano, Firriato, Cantine Settesoli, Tenuta Rapitalà (Gruppo Italiano Vini), Feudo Principi di Butera (Zonin), and Masseria del Feudo, to name a few.

The Relaunching of Sicilian Viticulture and the Role of the Vine and Wine Institute
Sicily, both for its terroir and for the types of wines that are produced, is not just an island but can be considered an entire “continent”. In Sicily, all types of wines are produced, from still to sweet, with characteristics that are totally particular to the territory. The uniqueness of these wines is interesting for new generations and a winning card in the game of global winemaking.
The main goal of the Vine and Wine Institute – explained President Agueci and General Director Sparma during “Sicilia en primeur” – is that of reinforcing the quality of research and to direct it towards that which is requested by consumers.
After the commercialization of yeasts for reds, there is a move for yeasts for white wines. There are also experiments on sparkling wine to verify whether spumante could be stably produced on the island. The most important challenge, above all in regards to big production regions like Tuscany and Piedmont, is that of aiming towards the creation of wines that withstand ageing.
“As for promotional programs” – continued Agueci and Sparma – “we want to satisfy the needs of our producers who, apart from the more important fairs of the sector, are requesting bigger appointments.
Our goal, therefore, remains that of promoting wine by connecting it to tourism, and the cultural and environmental heritage of the territory. Our intention is that of consolidating the presence of Sicilian wine on mature markets and pushing our product on markets where the quality-price relation can be a winning challenge”.

The Facts on Sicilian Wine
- Sicily is a land of great varietal patrimony. Today, the region produces one DOCG wine (2005 al Cerasuolo di Vittoria) and 22 DOC (Alcamo, Contea di Sclafani, Contessa Entellina, Delia Nivolelli, Eloro, Etna, Erice, Faro, Malvasia delle Lipari, Mamertino o Mamertino di Milazzo, Marsala, Menfi, Monreale, Moscato di Noto; Moscato di Pantelleria, Passito di Pantelleria, Pantelleria; Moscato di Siracusa, Riesi, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santa Margherita Belice, Sciacca, and Vittoria).
- 65% of vineyards are located on hillsides, 30% flatlands, and the remaining 5% in the mountains.
- 80% of vineyards are located between the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo, which cover, respectively, 57.3%, 17.7% and 13.8%.
- Trapani is the province with the highest density of vineyards in Italy (about 9% of total national vineyards) and its surface area of grapevines is higher even than that of the entire region of Tuscany (source: ISTAT).
- Nero d’Avola is the top red varietal with 18,812 (15.82%). For the allochthonous varieties, Syrah is at 4.35%, Merlot at 4.05%, and Cabernet Sauvignon at 3.29%. As for the white varieties, Catarratto Bianco takes 33.21% and Chardonnay, 4%.
- There are many cultivars in Sicily: Ansonica or Inzolia, Grecanico, Nerello Mascalese, Grillo, Zibibbo, Nerello Cappuccio, Frappato, Viogner, Fiano, Alicante, Damaschino, and Perricone.
- 10% of the vineyards are grown in the traditional “alberello” manner.
- Sicily takes seventh place for exports among Italy’s regions, with a total value of 73,279,000 euros for packaged wine.
The number of “Wine Roads”, instead, takes twelfth place. They can be found in the areas of Marsala-Terre d’occidente, Erice Doc, Alcamo Doc, Doc Monreale, Terre Sicane, Strada del vino dei Castelli Nisseni, Cerasuolo di Vittoria: from the Baroque to Liberty, Mount Etna, Val di Noto, Val di Mazara, the Province of Messina, and Targa Florio.
- The division of Sicilian wine production: 65-70% tables wines and musts (mm, mc, mcr); 25-30% IGT; 3-4% VQPRD.
Source: Regional Vine and Wine Institute