“Vigna del Gallo-Diego Planeta” and “Etna Urban Winery” in the Urban Vineyard Association

The “Vigna del Gallo-Diego Planeta”, so named in homage to the “father” of Sicilian viticulture, in the Botanical Garden of Palermo University, one of the most beautiful and visited places in the Sicilian capital, “guardian” of 95 biotypes of native vines, including Grillo and Nero d'Avola, and the Etna Urban Winery project, on the outskirts of Catania, in a totally urban context, which aims to reintroduce viticulture and wine production in one of the oldest production areas on Etna as it has been for centuries. Sicily’s beautiful urban vineyards have also joined the Urban Vineyard Association, the international association that protects rural, historical and landscape heritage by bringing together vineyards in cities all over the world, from Turin to New York, from Paris to Siena, from Milan to Lyon, from Avignon to Venice.
The “Vigna del Gallo-Diego Planeta” at the Botanical Garden of Palermo is the result of a project by the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Doc Sicilia and the University’s museum system, carried out in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences (Saaf). The vineyard covers an area of 200 square meters and contains more than 90 native Sicilian vines. “The phenomenon of urban vineyards”, says Antonio Rallo, president of the Consorzio Doc Sicilia, “is perfectly in line with Doc Sicilia’s vocation to safeguard the island’s great wine-growing heritage: without the historical memory of native vines, there would be no wine-growing in Sicily”.
Recently, another Sicilian reality has also joined the Association: it is the Etna Urban Winery in Catania linked to the history of the company that dates back to 1790 with the start of one of the largest wine productions in the area. But it wasn’t until 2018 that eight cousins (descendants of the founder) decided to revive the family winery, which had been abandoned in the 1960s after more than 200 years in business. By replanting vines on the abandoned land they owned, the owners found themselves working in a now urban environment, since Catania had grown so large in recent decades that it reached the slopes of the volcano. However, what could have been an obstacle is being turned into a resource: it is precisely the urban landscape that makes the Etna Urban Winery wine, produced in September 2021 for the first time, unique. “More than 50 years after the last harvest”, explains Nicola Purrello, co-founder and director of the project, “our generation has decided to recover the district, protect the rich historical and anthropological heritage, defend the last oak forest at low altitude, and share our history through a wine tourism experience”. The ambition is to recover all the nearly 8 hectares of the property for wine-growing use in the next 10 years.
“The Urban Vineyards Association was set up with the aim of protecting the cultural, historical and oenological heritage of small urban jewels present in many Italian and international cities”, explains Luca Balbiano, president and founder of the Urban Vineyards Association and manager of the “Vigna della Regina” in Turin. “The presence of two such prestigious and fascinating realities as the “Vigna del Gallo” and the “Etna Urban Winery” makes us very proud: they are the symbols of a territory, the Sicilian one, with a great winemaking tradition. These are vineyards and historical varieties that have been recovered thanks to the commitment and vision of enlightened realities. We are sure that, also thanks to the support of the network we have created, such virtuous and fascinating examples will continue to grow and become known”. Alongside “treasures” such as the “Vigna della Regina” in Turin, “Clos Montmartre” in Paris, “San Francesco alla Vigna” in Venice and the projects “Laguna nel bicchiere-Le vigne ritrovate di Venezia” and “Senarum Vinea” in Siena, the “Vigna di Leonardo” in Milan, “Clos de Canuts” in Lyon, “Clos du Palais des Papes” in Avignon and the “Rooftop Reds” project in New York.