Bottled stories of wines from Italian islands, where “heroic” vineyards plunge into the sea

Sicily, a true “wine continent” for the variety and diversity of its territories and wines; Sardinia, where wine tells stories as secular as the age of the people who inhabit it; Elba, whose “heroic” white wines are among the best expressions of Tuscany, home of great reds; Pantelleria, the “daughter of the wind” that sweeps the vine to tree Unesco World Heritage; but also Mazzorbo-Burano, whose walled vineyard where the “wine of the Doges” is reborn is among the vineyards with which the Venetian Lagoon is so rich; Mozia, a natural and archaeological reserve where Marsala was born, and where today the “wine of the Phoenicians” continues to be produced; or Gorgona, the last island-prison where prisoners cultivate vines to redeem their lives. These are just a few of the bottled stories told by WineNews of the wines of the Italian islands, where vineyards, cultivated thanks to heroic viticulture, plunge into the sea (which, increasingly, also becomes a “cellar” for the so-called “underwaterwines” that refine in the waters of Italy). But alongside the most “famous”, even the smaller islands, from Isola del Giglio to Ventotene, from Ischia to Vulcano, from Ustica to the island of San Pietro, are increasingly a destination for wine tourism, amid native vines that are being reborn (and making them reborn), and unspoiled nature, thanks to the spirit of “resilience” that island producers have, who are now ready for the harvest.
Rich in fascinating territories with breathtaking landscapes, the smaller islands of the Mediterranean are not only enchanting destinations where to spend pleasant moments immersed in the beauty of nature, but are also places rich in enological treasures. In these lands, vineyards often torn from the rock, illuminated by the sun, tormented by the wind and saltiness give special, unique and authentic wines that evoke the sea with every sip. An expression of the industriousness of the islanders, forced by nature to make do with what the surrounding environment offers them, these wines are rich in light, colors and fragrances and reflect the peculiarities of the vines from which they are born, which have developed extraordinary characteristics by masterfully adapting to various climates and different geological situations. And in the world of distribution, there are also those who have thought of promoting them together, such as Proposta Vini, among the main players in the sector in Italy and abroad, which, among its projects aimed at enhancing historical, evocative and landscape aspects related to the world of wine, has one dedicated to “Wines of the Minor Islands” (but also to “Extreme Wines” and “Volcanic Wines”, among others, and among more than 3. 500 references in the portfolio for 410 Italian and foreign wineries, and 90 producers of spirits, for a 2023 turnover of more than 28 million euros, with over 2.8 million bottles).
In the granite lands of Isola del Giglio, the “little pearl” of the Tuscan archipelago, in the terraced vineyards overlooking the sea, decisive and identity-driven wines are born, capable of reflecting the strong character of the island and its inhabitants, such as Castellari Isola del Giglio’s Calzo della Vignia (from the way the vine is called on the island, namely “calzo”), a 100% Ansonica, the white grape variety par excellence of the Tuscan islands. In Ventotene, the “island of the sirens” in the Pontian archipelago, with Ponza and Palmarola, off the coast of the Gulf of Gaeta, the Sportiello family, among the oldest on the island, has restored the ancient winemaking tradition that disappeared in the late 1960s, with the Candidaterra winery, cultivating Fiano, Greco and Falanghina from which Pandataria Il Vino del Confino is born in vineyards on volcanic soils, caressed by sea winds and golden from the sun.
The richness of the volcanic soil, the perfect sun exposure and the altitude of the vineyards, which gives minerality and a savoriness unique to Ischia, the “green island”, give rise to wines that embody the volcanic, genuine and seafaring nature of the Phlegrean island in the Gulf of Naples, with Capri and Procida, such as Cenatiempo’s Kalimera, from pure Biancolella grapes, cultivated heroically and biodynamically by the Cenatiempo family, which has belonged to the island for all time. A place that since Roman times was unique for its beauty and for the quality of its grapes, on the island of Vulcano, the “forge” of the god Hephaestus, in the Aeolian archipelago, also of volcanic origin, and with its “sisters” Lipari and Salina, Stromboli and Panarea, among Sicily’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, Malvasia has found its perfect habitat for millennia, the basis of wines such as Francangelo Salina from Punta Aria.
Also off the coast of Sicily, in Ustica, the island of the sorceress Circe, there is one winery: Hibiscus, where Margherita Longo produces wines that reflect the volcanic nature of the soils, the proximity to the sea and the biodiversity of the landscape. Prominent among the native grape varieties is Zibibbo, which has always been grown on the island and vinified in a dry version that enhances its aromatic characteristics in Grotta dell’Oro. In the Sulcis archipelago, on the island of San Pietro, linked to the legend of the “Fisherman Saint”, Ventou de Ma from Tanca Gioia, a Carloforte winery, is, finally, the pure essence of Vermentino di Sardegna, among the world’s most beloved Italian white wines. And rich in stories yet to be told.