Vines at Baglio di Pianetto
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, covering over 25,000km2. Most of the island is hilly or mountainous, with only 14.1% flat land. Due to a Mediterranean climate of hot summers and mild, wet winters with a large diurnal range, plus mineral-rich soils, Sicily is blessed with excellent conditions for grape growing. Its rich wine heritage dates back 2,600 years with the ancient Greeks giving the island the nickname of Oenotria. More recently, the wines of Etna in the east of Sicily, made from indigenous grapes grown on the slopes of the volcano, have gained increasing international recognition. You can read an extensive report about viticulture on Etna, here on The Write Taste. However, there's much more to the island's wine culture, as demonstrated perfectly at this year's Sicilia En Primeur.
The main Sicilia en Primeur tasting
Sicilia En Primeur is an annual event attracting journalists from all over the world eager to explore Sicily's wines and cultural heritage. This year marked the 21st edition with the strapline 'The Culture of Wine in Sicily: A Thousand-Year Story that Looks to the Future'.
"Wine, besides being an agricultural or commercial product", says Mariangela Cambria, President of Assovini Sicilia, "is an essential element of universal culture that spans centuries and civilisations. The culture of wine today also translates into a culture of travel. It is a journey that begins in and sets off from the vineyard. From working the land, it goes through an annual cycle and arrives in the glass, in the bottle and on tables all over the world. Sicilia En Primeur will tell journalists about part of this journey."
The 2024 vintage was characterised by a drop in yield, averaging 20%, impacted by drought, high temperatures and an early harvest. The diverse nature of the island's terroir means that the grape harvest is the longest of any Italian region, lasting 100 days from west to east. Starting in mid-July in western Sicily, around 15 days earlier than normal in 2024, it ended at the end of October on Mount Etna.
The quantity of grapes was 15%-30% down in the west, but quality did not suffer with good ripeness levels attained.
This comes a year after the difficult peronospora (downy mildew)-hit 2023 vintage, a year marked by extreme heat and heavy rainfall that resulted in a significant drop in production across much of Italy.
In addition to the fabulous wine, no visit to Sicily would be complete without enjoying some of the iconic cannoli!
Before the main Sicilia En Primeur tasting, various tours were organised. This year, my journey took in parts of the west and south of the island. Beginning in the north at Monreale near Palermo, and ending in the south in the province of Agrigento, there were plenty of wines and wine styles to compare. In particular, this was a great opportunity to discover more about Sicily's most widely planted red and white grapes, Nero d'Avola and Grillo.
Known officially as Calabrese, meaning Calabrian, the grape is better known as Nero d'Avola, named after the Sicilian city. It represents around 16% of grapes grown in Sicily and produces a variety of styles. These range from light, almost Pinot-like expressions to rich, full-bodied and more tannic versions with plum, chocolate and pepper notes, more reminiscent of Syrah. If planted on sandier soils, floral and spicy notes develop, whereas clay soils tend to give more bitterness and acidity.
The grape is particularly suited to areas of low rainfall, so expectations for the 2024 vintage have been high.
Created in 1873, Grillo is a crossing of Catarratto and Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria). Meaning 'cricket' in Italian, wines made from the grape can be light with citrus freshness, sapidity, floral and herbaceous notes or more textural and weighty. Between 2022 and 2024, total production of Grillo increased by nearly 22%, equating to just under 4.5 million bottles.
Baglio di Pianetto
A traditional Sicilian baglio is a collection of connected buildings and homes, built around a large, square, central courtyard.
Organic-certified Baglio di Planeta is run by young, visionary entrepreneur, Grégoire Desforges, in Contrada Pianetto where his grandparents established the winery.
Vineyards, reaching up to 1000m in altitude, lie in the hills near Santa Cristina Gela, an area in the north of Sicily a few kilometres south of Palermo, settled by the Arbëreshë community from Albania in the 15th century.
In the UK, we have Banksy, in Piana degli Albanesi, there's Bashkë art celebrating the arbëreshe (Albanian) heritage
Vines benefit from a large diurnal range plus mineral-rich, predominantly clay soils, with silt and stone present too. Their first wine, Ficiligno, was named after the local stone found all over the countryside of Palermo.
A strong sustainability and ethically-minded ethos is at the heart of Desforges' philosophy. Leguminous plants encourage biodiversity and soil health, while photovoltaic panels reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, a rainwater recovery system and weather station help with optimal irrigation and disease management. The winery also has a gravity-flow system, reducing energy usage.
Desforges' investment in the business, which includes a luxury hotel, is also driven by a desire to help the local community, maintaining strong social values. He cites sustainability, nature conservation and social protection as three key principles. "I want to have people that are happy to come to work for me. We will invest a lot in the community. Now, for example, we're cleaning the roads. I think we're going to start redistributing a bit of the profit to the community … And on sustainability, the idea is that we want to be an example for the whole industry."
Gregoire Desforges of Baglio di Pianetto
Baglio di Pianetto makes wine from both indigenous and international grape varieties and is experimenting with amphora, different barrel sizes and other grapes, including PIWIs.
Desforges is also a strong believer in making higher altitude wines, which he feels are better suited to today's tastes. "We transferred our vineyards to Piana degli Albanesi, up to 940 metres above sea level. This is a strategic choice to reduce the amount of alcohol, combat climate change and have fresher, more elegant wines. I'm lucky that my taste is adapted to what the market wants, which is a little bit less alcohol and lighter-bodied, fresher wines."
The new Grillo, fermented in stainless steel and aged on its lees for three months, is immediately fresh and vibrant on the nose, showing light tropical fruit and apricot notes with a hint of lemon curd, while the palate is mineral with notes of grapefruit pith, touches of tropical fruit and salinity.
The Viafrancia line is named after the family's French and Italian roots, as well as the company address.
The Viafrancia Bianco 2022 is a blend of Grillo, Inzolia and Viognier, partially fermented in 25hl oak barrels for nine months. The nose is fresh and floral with notes of white, fleshy fruit, citrus and gentle oak. The palate has a similar profile of stone fruit and citrus with a buttery edge, a touch of wood spice and a hint of sapidity on the finish.
The new 2023 vintage has a similar profile with a little more sapidity, a hint of white pepper spice plus stone fruit and tropical fruit notes.
The Viognier takes centre stage in this wine, pushing the native Sicilian grapes more into the background. The oak softens the acidity and there is no doubt that this expression has some international appeal, while remaining relatively low in alcohol at an impressive 12.5% ABV. It will be interesting to see whether future iterations emphasise more the freshness and acidity of Grillo in the blend.
This is a blend of mostly Nero d'Avola and Syrah with a small amount of Merlot too. The nose shows notes of flowers, mixed berries, paprika, bay leaf and a hint of wood spice. On the palate, similar fruity notes with cherry and plum emerge with a softening touch of vanilla and a good balance of acidity and tannin. The finish shows an additional touch of violet and lavender. At 14.5% ABV, this wine has punch and the addition of Syrah and Merlot make the wine more approachable to those unfamiliar with Nero d'Avola's more expressive tannins.
Duca di Salaparuta
Duca di Salaparuta is one of Sicily's most renowned and oldest wine producers, which last year celebrated its 200th anniversary. Owned by the Reina family, who also own Corvo and Florio, the winery has three estates around the island, each with different terroirs that help define the wine styles they make.
Duca di Salaparuta is best known for Duca Enrico, created by oenologist Franco Giacosa in 1984. This was the first single-varietal Nero d'Avola on the island and was instrumental in putting Sicilian red wine on the global map, leading other winemakers to follow with their own expressions of the grape.
The wine continues to be made using bush-trained (albarello) vines grown on the limestone-rich Suor Marchesa estate in Riesi, south-central Sicily, very close to where Giacosa started the project. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks, then racked and transferred to concrete vessels for malolactic conversion. It's aged for up to 18 months in new and second-use oak barriques before spending at least one year in bottle. The barriques have wheels to allow easy rotation, moving around the lees held in suspension. The fine-grained wood comes from different forests, is blended to create the barrels and promotes a slow micro-oxygenation.
The nose shows notes of blood orange, bramble fruit, pomegranate and spice with an earthy hint. The palate is similar with hints of beetroot and sweet vanilla too on a long finish. Tannins are smooth and elegant, acidity is fresh, while the alcohol level of 15% ABV packs a punch, testament to a warm vintage.
Older expressions from 2004 and 1997, although still containing some fresh fruit hints and decent acidity, unsurprisingly show a more evolved character with notes of cooked and dried fruit, spice and dried flowers, incense, tobacco, coffee and caramel with a touch of minerality too. The 1984 vintage is perhaps past its best, but still has complexity with developed tertiary notes prominent.
The winery also makes other expressions of Nero d'Avola from espalier-trained vines with Guyot pruning in vineyards within the same Suor Marchesa estate:-
This wine is aged partly in concrete tanks and partly in first and second-use oak barriques for 8-10 months. The nose has fruity notes of red cherry, plum and raspberry with touches of vanilla and spice. On the palate, cherry and plum are immediately noticeable, before the raspberry notes kicks in with a slight hint of mint chocolate and black pepper, while the tannins remain smooth and the acidity bright. At 13.5% ABV, this is lighter than Duca Enrico, but has a similar ability to age for a long time.
This expression of Nero d'Avola undergoes an extra maceration on grape skins post-fermentation for one week. Malolactic conversion takes place in concrete tanks and the wine is aged in new or second-use oak barriques for around 12 months. It then spends a further 2-2½ years in bottle before release. The nose shows notes of sour cherry, strawberry, dried cranberry and spice, while on the palate, cherry, blackberry, spice and vanilla come to the fore. The 14.5% ABV adds to the fuller bodied and more concentrated mouthfeel.
There was also an opportunity to try the new vintage of one of the Grillo wines. Grapes come from Risignolo, a 35 hectare estate in the Salemi area in western Sicily, where the winery also grow Inzolia and Zibibbo.
This expression is partly aged on its lees in oak barriques (approximately 20%), while the remainder stays on its lees in stainless steel tanks. It's floral and fruity with citrus, tropical and stone fruit notes on the nose, which continue on the palate with touches of grapefruit, peach, woody vanilla and peach kernel on the finish. At 12.5% ABV, this wine can accompany light fish starters, but the noticeable oak influence makes it versatile with a variety of fuller-flavoured main courses too.
Feudo Montoni
Melissa Muller's love affair with Sicily began in childhood when she spent her summers in the Sicilian village of Sant'Anna where her grandmother was born.
Feudo Montoni was founded in 1469 and is one of the oldest Sicilian wineries. At the end of the 1800s, the estate was purchased by the Sireci family and is now in its third generation with Fabio and his American wife, Melissa Muller, previously a successful chef and restaurant owner.
The 150 hectares of property in the province of Agrigento in central western Sicily comprise around 50ha of east-facing vineyards on sandy, clay and rocky soils rich in iron. Altitudes ranging from 500 to 800 meters above sea level. All the land, which also contains vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers and grain, is farmed organically.
View of Feudo Montoni from above: image credit Alfio Garozzo
The couple are strong advocates of organic agriculture and maintaining biodiversity. The grain that surrounds the vineyards protects against genetic cross-contamination from other vineyards. This supports their philosophy to allow the grapes to express themselves naturally with minimal intervention, respecting tradition, but always looking to the future. Rather than buying nursery plants, they favour propagating ancient vines from their one-hectare experimental 'museum vineyard' of old vines. Here, they've taken buds from single or multiple plants and grafted on to the old, wild rootstock, overcoming periods of drought without even the need for irrigation.
Fabio Sireci and Melissa Muller from Feudo Montoni: image credit Alfio Garozzo
"In my opinion, the nursery gardens of the 1990s and 2000s destroyed the identity of Sicilian grapes … and changed the genetic structure", explains Melissa. "In the 2000s", she continues, "the market was looking for Nero d'Avola that you could chew. They were so thick, juicy and heavy. So in the past, Fabio would bring his wines out to the market and people would say, 'These aren't Sicilian wines. They're not concentrated enough to be Sicilian wines.' Now that's being challenged and many are trying to make wines that are lighter."
Fabio's refreshing approach allows him to make lighter-bodied wines with purity that reflect the natural character of the grapes. "It's not a marketing strategy", he says. "I let the grapes make the wine. This is the way it should be made."
The following expressions of Grillo and Nero d'Avola underline the approach described above:-
'Timpa' in Sicilian dialect means strong slope and here refers to the vineyard these grapes come from which has a 70° gradient. The new vintage is immediately expressive on the nose, floral and fruity with citrus peel prominent. The palate is refreshing and clean, showing notes of citrus and white fruit with saline and savoury hints plus a refreshing mineral edge.
This is similarly aromatic on the nose, showing floral notes with touches of pear, apricot, white peach and a hint of marshmallow. The palate is fresh, long and mineral with notes of stone fruit, peach kernel and pear core.
Evolution is evident here with the nose carrying notes of dried apricot and dried flowers, while on the palate, there's fresh acidity, salinity and notes of fresh and dried stone fruit, tropical fruit and a long finish.
Lagnusa means lazy and is a reference to the land. "The soil is rich in clay, which tends to result in a lower yield", explains Melissa. "Historically, wine was considered food, so the farmers on the land of Montoni have always called this hill the 'lazy hill'."
This wine is fermented and aged in concrete tanks before further ageing in oak barrels for 4 months. A portion of whole cluster grapes is used to add freshness to this wine. The nose is fresh and pretty with notes of red berries and cherry, while the palate is light with similar fruity tones plus a touch of lavender, small dark berries and gentle spice.
Named after the aromatic shrubs which grow around the vineyards, this is a more complex and characterful expression that's fermented and aged for over 40 months in cement, then spends 6-8 months in large oak casks.
Unusually, they de-stem the grapes, dry the stems in the sun for about 3-4 days and then add about 25% to the tank, before a long maceration of around 60 days. "Our goal is to extract the warm tannins of the dried stems", says Melissa. She explains that this is a technique that Fabio found in his grandfather's diary.
It's aromatic, floral and fruity with notes of cherry and red plum plus delicate herbal and balsamic hints on the nose. The palate is fresh and fruity, showing a similar character, with beautifully balanced acidity and tannins, spice, a touch of vanilla and strawberry on the finish plus a slight savoury edge. It's still a very young wine, due for release this December, so will continue to develop complexity in the bottle, with great ageing potential.
These two wines are 13.5% and 14% ABV, respectively, but like their other wines from different grape varieties have a light, fresh touch and the alcohol levels are barely noticeable.
This vintage similarly shows predominantly red fruit notes. There's fresh and cooked strawberry on the nose, bramble fruit and a tinge of menthol, while the palate has mixed berry notes, a touch of eucalyptus and a hint of espresso coffee on the finish.
Pilgrims at Cristo di Campobello
"Chalk is the power of our company!"
Cristo di Campobello is a winery in Contrada Cristo in the province of Agrigento to the south of central Sicily. The name comes from a wooden Christ statue built over 200 years ago by a farmer who worked the land. It is still a site of religious devotion, as every year on May 3rd, pilgrims journey there to pray and leave a flower.
The winery owns 35 hectares of vineyards and leases a further thirty. Soil is predominantly chalk with limestone at altitudes of 250-400 metres above sea level with sea breezes contributing to a large diurnal range of 20°C. Organic and sustainable farming methods have always been used and the winery was certified organic last year.
A classic method sparkling wine made from 100% Grillo, this does not undergo malolactic conversion and spends 36 months ageing on its lees. The result is a fresh, accessible expression with citrus, peach, lemon curd and light pastry notes on the nose, while the palate shows gentle brioche, breadcrust and lemon notes with slight salinity, hints of pear and peach plus refreshing acidity.
This vintage has spent 50 months on its lees. The extra ageing time has seen the wine develop deeper notes on the nose with peach, lemon and custard cream biscuit prominent. While some of the freshness of youth has diminished, the palate adds extra peach, lemon curd and orange notes with a touch of salinity.
Food and sparkling rosé wine pairing at Cristo di Campobello
A rosé sparkler made from 100% Nero d'Avola, this also spends 36 months on its lees. The nose is floral and fruity with notes of bread crust, red fruit, peach and citrus, which continue on the palate with light touches of almond cream, sweet strawberry and raspberry notes on the finish.
This wine is made from a blend of 50% Nero d'Avola and 50% Syrah, spending a year in 110-hectolitre steel-French oak casks. On the nose, there are notes of strawberry and blackberry, while the palate is young, peppery and slightly earthy with notes of mixed berries plus hints of blackcurrant, coffee and vanilla.
A 100% Nero d'Avola expression, Lu Patri is aged in French oak barrels for 14 months and a further 12 months in bottle. On the nose, there's cherry, dark berries and spice with a hint of menthol. The palate has bright acidity and tannins with fruity notes of cherry, plum and blackberry plus black pepper spice, tobacco and touches of coffee and cocoa. The 14.5% ABV level adds to the intensity and fuller bodied mouth feel.
The main Sicilia en Primeur tasting allowed opportunities to try many other wines from different producers. Here are some of the standouts:-
Alessandro di Camporeale is based in the small village of Camporeale, part of the Monreale DOC appellation in the province of Palermo. The mixed soil types of their vineyards allow them to produce a variety of wines from indigenous and international grape varieties in western and southern Sicily and also from Etna.
This is their new vintage from 340 metres high vineyards containing calcareous clay loam soils in Contrada Mandranova in the province of Agrigento. The wine spends 6 months on its lees in stainless steel tanks. At only 12.5% ABV, it's intensely aromatic and surprisingly quite full-bodied and rich with tropical, citrus and herbal notes on the nose and palate plus good balancing acidity and a mineral edge to the long finish.
Donnatà Nero d'Avola 2022 is from the same hilly vineyards and spends 8 months in steel tanks, with around 10% in French oak tonneau. Notes of cherry and plum on the nose carry on to the palate with a savoury and slightly saline finish. Spice and herbal notes are subtle, while tannins are well-balanced and the alcohol level of 14% ABV does not feel overpowering, making this a very quaffable expression of the grape.
Mandrarossa, based on the south-west coast of Sicily, is the high quality, on-trade brand of Cantine Settesoli, a Sicilian cooperative with 2000 members. Their 500 hectare vineyard, in the Menfi municipality of Agrigento, extends from 200 to 440 metres altitude by the coast. They benefit from a variety of soil types and a sunny, arid climate tempered by sea breezes plus strong diurnal temperature variations. This allows them to grow many different grape varieties, both international and indigenous, on sites stretching from Menfi to Mount Etna and the island of Pantelleria, close to Tunisia.
This easy-going example of a light and fresh Grillo style shows notes of peach and citrus on the nose, which continues on the palate with touches of lemon zest and salinity.
This expression delivers notes of citrus, white peach and a hint of white flowers on the nose, while the palate shows lemon and lime, a hint of underripe pear plus refreshing acidity and salinity.
An easy, clean example of a Nero d'Avola, vinified in stainless steel, that could be lightly chilled before serving. Cherry, plum and berries on the nose carry on to the palate which has a mineral edge.
This multiple award-winning Nero d'Avola has spent one year maturing in second use oak barriques. The nose has intense notes of morello cherry and blackberry with hints of milk chocolate and nutmeg. The palate is elegant, round, velvety and complex, showing bright cherry, plum, strawberry, black pepper, liquorice and balsamic notes with a hint of tobacco and a good balance between fresh acidity and soft tannins.
This wine is aged in tulip tanks for 8 months, before maturing in large French oak barrels for 19 months. It's a lighter expression than Cartagho, with cherry, strawberry and a hint of tobacco on the nose. The palate is bright, vibrant and juicy with similar fruity notes, a hint of strawberry compote too plus a touch of white pepper spice.
Feudo Arancio
Feudo Arancio is another globally renowned producer from the province of Agrigento. Its 280 hectare estate here comprises 200 hectares of vineyards, while their other estate in Acate, province of Ragusa in south-east Sicily, has 450 hectares of vineyards. The winery specialises in producing single-varietal wines.
Grapes are grown on the sand and clay soils of Acate, are picked early and undergo partial malolactic conversion. It's floral and fresh with citrus, tropical fruit and apricot on the nose, while the palate has lime, orange and dried mango notes plus a hint of salinity.
This organic wine comes from early-picked grapes (end of August), grown in their Agrigento vineyards on limestone soils at 360 metres altitude. It has a short maceration on the skins and only 5-10% is aged in oak barrels. It's a fresh, mineral style that delivers notes of cherry and Mediteranean herbs on the nose and palate with fresh, supple tannins plus a savoury touch on the finish and could benefit from light chilling before serving.
This wine has spent 18 months ageing, with 50% in stainless steel and 50% new oak, before blending and spending a further 6 months in stainless steel. Tertiary aromas of tobacco and soft leather complement notes of cherry, blackberry jam and dark chocolate. In the mouth, the fruity component shines, showing strawberry, blackberry and black cherry notes with a touch of coffee, while tannins are smooth and the finish is long.
Feudo Maccari
Feudo Maccari is a winery based in Noto, in the sun-exposed south-eastern tip of the island. Since 2000, it's been owned by the same Tuscan family as Tenuta Sette Ponti. Here, in this part of Sicily, the fertile soil is a mix of volcanic deposits, sand, chalk, clay and limestone. The Grillo and Nero d'Avola come from bush-trained vines, mostly south-facing and around 80 metres above sea level.
Olli 2024 is a Grillo from young grapes, aged in stainless steel for 5 months. It's fresh and crispy with floral and lemon notes on the nose plus a hint of sea spray, while the palate is light, clean and mineral with notes of lemon, salinity and a hint of dried chamomile.
Half of this wine has been aged in concrete eggs and half in second-use 330 litre oak barrels for around 6 months. It's a richer, more complex and fuller-bodied style of Grillo. The nose shows touches of lemon, dried flowers and almond with tropical fruit and a hint of spice. The palate remains fresh, while having depth, softness and roundness, showing citrus, melon and pineapple notes, a mineral edge and a long, balanced finish. Although 14% ABV, the alcohol level does not intrude and is perfectly integrated.
Firraru is a single vineyard wine, the name coming from a Sicilian word for blacksmith. Vines are 30-40 years old and the black-soiled vineyard is rich in iron, with limestone, chalk, black sand and clay.
This Grillo is aged in small, used oak barrels with three different toasting levels for about one year. The nose shows notes of lemon and lime with touches of stone fruit, orange peel and a hint of vanilla. The palate has depth, complexity and a touch of salinity with notes of fleshy stone fruit, tropical fruit and citrus plus hints of buttered brown bread and apple skin.
A rosé made from Nero d'Avola with two hours' maceration on the skins. It's floral and fresh on the nose with cherry and sea spray notes, while the palate shows cherry, red berries and salinity.
Saia was the first wine from Feudo Maccari in 2002. It continues to be made from a selection of the best grapes and is aged for 12-14 months in used oak barrels. Strawberry and cherry notes with a hint of liquorice on the nose carry on to the palate, which adds touches of dark berries, plum, mocha, salted caramel and milk chocolate.
This 'cru' comes from a steep, two hectare, limestone-rich, north-west facing, bush-trained vineyard around 60 metres above sea level. It's aged in first and second use tonneaux for a minimum of 10 months.
The nose shows a light dusting of paprika spice on red fruit notes with a hint of plum, while the palate is similar with herbal and savoury touches, a mineral/saline edge and a long finish.
This 'cru' comes from a 50-60 year old, slightly west-facing vineyard on predominantly clay soils with volcanic sand. Ageing is also in first and second use tonneaux for at least 10 months.
The nose has notes of fresh and cooked strawberry, cherry, baking spices and cedar, while the palate is spicy and mineral with red berry and blackberry notes, a slight savoury edge, cedarwood, ripe tannins and fresh acidity.
Principi di Butera is a renowned winery, owned by the Zonin family since 1997. The estate is located to the south of the island, in the Riesi DOC appellation in the province of Caltanissetta, an area known for its Nero d'Avola. Vineyards are located on hills only 10km from the sea, with an average altitude of 250-350 metres. Soils contain mainly limestone, dark clay and marl.
This wine was aged in 30 and 60 hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels for one year. Intensely aromatic and floral with red berries and violet on the nose, the palate delivers cherry and balsamic notes with touches of almond essence, dark coffee and chocolate.
This wine spent 18 months in 350 litre tonneaux and 30 hectolitre oak barrels. On the nose, cherry, bramble fruit and a hint of spice come to the fore, while the palate delivers notes of blackberry, raspberry, plum, spice, bittersweet chocolate and a touch of liquorice.
There are many expressions of Grillo and Nero d'Avola, encompassing both still and sparkling wines and the iconic fortified wine, Marsala. Additionally, producers like Feudo Montoni make passito versions and Duca di Salaparuta's ALA (Antico Liquorvino Amarascato) is an aromatised Nero d'Avola that's made with dried wild Marasca cherry leaves infused in alcohol.
Different styles will appeal to different palates and perhaps differing demographics too. So what does this mean for future choice, especially for us here in the UK and what is the relevance for the modern consumer?
Fine dining and serious foodie places will probably veer towards the richer, more concentrated styles, seeing them as showing good compatibility with their food. There is certainly a place for these expressions, but it would be a mistake to think of them as necessarily being of higher quality. Wineries like Feudo Montoni show that a lighter touch most definitely works and can result in wines of supreme excellence that pair beautifully with many cuisines.
Single varietal expressions allow the grapes to shine on their own and be distinctive. I found this to be particularly true for Grillo and Nero d'Avola. For me, Viognier, for example, tended to overpower the fresher and more delicate floral, herbal and mineral nature of Grillo, although Inzolia can add some extra character.
View from the Castello dei Conti di Modica in the UNESCO-listed Baroque town of Modica, where the Sicilia en Primeur tastings took place
Blends of indigenous and international varieties do have commercial appeal. However, Sicilian grapes have so much personality and identity that they can stand up proudly on their own. Picking Nero d'Avola early, before a short maceration on the skins and no oak ageing, can result in deliciously light and refreshing wines that speak to the modern consumer with unmistakeable Italian style. Clearly relevant for more contemporary bars, they can also be perfect for fine dining settings.
As Mariangela Cambria says: "Sicily has a thousand year old history that speaks of the future". If the future of wine is to reach a new generation of customers, while retaining appeal for current vinophiles, then new, modern expressions of Sicilian grapes can be at the forefront of this endeavour … and I, for one, will be joining the queue!
A condensed version of this article was previously published on the Académie du Vin website.
You can find more information about the wines of Sicily on the Sicilia DOC webpage.
