Etna Doc, more companies led by young people and virtuous economic impact on the territory grow

The future of a wine territory can also be seen by how much young people and new generations invest in it. And in that of Etna Doc, the diamond of Sicilian wine and a territory of 1,500 hectares (60% in organic regime, and with plants in fact blocked for the next few years, which can only increase by 50 hectares each year, recounted, by WineNews, in the past, in a real reportage) enclosed in 20 municipalities, 4 slopes, 133 Contrade and about 445 producing companies, the number of companies led by the “under 41” is increasing, a share that has now reached 20% (8% young female conductors), twice the national share (10%) found by Ismea on the basis of Istat. An acceleration, that of young entrepreneurs, which in the 4 Etna slopes has become even more evident in the last 3 years (2020-2023), with an increase in the period of 55% for a total of 89 producing realities. Trend this much more significant, as is the overall growth of new companies (+16%). Moreover, in the shadow of the volcano, in the last 10 years the area planted with vines has grown by 70%, bottles of wine produced have quadrupled, and wine tourism is a new high-end asset, 2/3 of which is practiced by foreigners, starting with Americans. Data from the Etna Doc Consortium - which represents 90% of the total production potential, and brings together 220 wineries for an average annual production of 6 million bottles, of which 60% is exported, particularly to the United States, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - led by Francesco Cambria, which from today to September 14, in Castiglione di Sicilia, at the Picciolo Etna Resort, is staging “Etna Days” to turn the spotlight on the wines that are born on the soils of Europe's highest active volcano (starring 100 wineries in three days of tastings, winery visits, meetings with producers, in-depth discussions and walk-around tastings, with in the foreground the new productions based on Nerello Mascalese and Caricante, the main varieties for Etna Bianco, Etna Bianco Superiore, Etna Rosato, Etna Rosso, Etna Rosso Riserva, Etna Spumante bianco and Etna spumante). “Thanks to Etna’s wine, today, young people in the area no longer feel the need to leave, because a new and important economy is created”, comments, to WineNews, Francesco Cambria.
“Wine here is an increasingly decisive social calming factor”, said Etna Doc Consortium director Maurizio Lunetta at the opening of the denomination's highlight event, “Young people have resumed cultivating their grandparents’ vineyard plots, in a sort of generational leap that allows them to guarantee work for themselves and a very large workforce. Including the upland vineyards cultivated with the alberello system, the total vineyard in fact requires an annual total of more than 200,000 work days, with about 2,500 people directly involved in production. We are proud”, Lunetta concluded, “to contribute in our own small way to curbing the abandonment of the island by new generations”.
The rise, in the last decade, of Doc Etna in the international wine critics is ensuring the economic sustainability of the companies (50 million euros turnover ex cellar, 150,000 euros the value of the vineyard per hectare, 5 times more than the regional average), but also of the territory. According to a study by the Uiv-Vinitaly Observatory, wine tourism demand (200,000 presences) returns an added value on the area of 123 million euros a year, and for every bottle consumed on the slopes of Etna an impact (direct, indirect and induced) is generated in favor of the territory of 82 euros, 10 times more than the value of wine at production. A virtuous ticket, the wine-volcano ticket in terms of tourism, which, according to the Consortium, is practiced by 60% of businesses with tours and guided tastings, while 15-20% have invested directly in facilities dedicated to hospitality and catering.
But Etna Days is also a time to reflect on the future of the entire sector, which is far from simple, as recalled in his speech by the president of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), Luigi Moio. “The sector is going through a difficult time because the generational transmission of what it means to consume wine has been interrupted. The new generations”, Moio said, “have not been educated to do so, and today young people, attracted by mixology, are moving away from wine, but they take more alcohol than my generation. Paradoxically, in the very delicate issue of alcohol and health, it is wine that is at stake and not other beverages. In my opinion, even on the topic of wine and health”, Moio said, “there is a great responsibility in communication, which is too often confusing and contradictory. We cannot say that wine is good for you because there is alcohol, but there are other topics that distinguish our world and that unite the product with the territories and their history. We need to affirm these identity values so that wine is not confused with other alcoholic beverages. Wine is not a liquid; it is a cultural vector. Drinking a glass of Etna is a cultural act, and there is no doubt that the strength of its designation lies in the identity built around the volcano”.