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Explore Sicily: Italy’s Largest Organic Vineyards

Italy's Largest Organic Vineyards

Being born in Sicily is to boast an internal diversity. This is enough to consider oneself in a nation which, due to its dynamism – cultural, territorial, gastronomic – does not need added value.

Sicily is considered a continent in itself, where the coasts form sinuous lines to surround a territory on which hills rise and are exposed to the Sicilian winds.

Where nature is generous, agriculture can also respond in the right way. Sicily is the first region in Italy dedicated to organic agricultural production, with more than 74,000 acres dedicated to the organic vineyard, which results in excellence in the world of wine. This is made possible by ideal climatic conditions, fertile soils and winds. But also, by prodigious human attention and professionalism that is maintained by individual producers and supported by the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Sicilia DOC (which since 2012 has led the way in conservation and the promotion of the wine heritage). The work of the Consortium was started and still continues towards the respect for the fundamental principles of sustainability.

Sicilian sustainability is therefore intertwined with respect for one’s activities and authenticity, aimed at protecting the richness and variety of the territory.

In fact, Sicily is the first italian region to develop, in an united and shared way, an integrated protocol of sustainability that is born from the producers’ needs and for the producers. This project takes the name of SOStain Sicilia.

The result is a high quality product that fully respects the environment; a wine born from the privilege of an island that is sustainable by nature. Tradition remains the root of oenological culture, but does not limit its vision: new generations of Sicilian wine producers – which the Consortium supports – work on increasingly modern and fresh wines that look to international cuisine.

The Sicilian identity is found in the most famous native vine, Nero d’Avola, which reflects elegance and character. A rich red wine, filled with velvety, deep and warm flavors and a distinguishing ruby color.

And if Nero d’Avola is the main red grape variety, Grillo is the representative of the white grape. Also produced to satisfy its predisposition to give life to whites characterized by an aromatic richness.

The excellent quality of Grillo and Nero d’Avola grapes is the driving force behind all the island’s vines.

Grillo and Nero d’Avola grapes,as well as other grape varieties of the “continent of Sicily”, have benefited from the generally favorable climatic conditions during the 2019 harvest. The forecasts for the beginning of the 2020 harvest are confirmed: according to the growers of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Doc Sicilia, the result of the 2020 harvest is positive and shows a good quality of the grapes compared to the decrease in the harvest.

“We consider the outcome of this harvest to be quite positive for several reasons. Firstly, we have been aiming to give priority to the quality of our wines for a long time,” comments Antonio Rallo, president of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Doc Sicilia. “The drop in the number of grapes harvested, recorded on average throughout the island during the campaign that has now concluded, is confirmation that even in 2020 we do not have a large production. The wine that will be packaged will be of excellent quality”.

The wine of Sicily today is richness, a common thread that accompanies new and unprecedented journeys that contribute to expanding the tourist offerings of the region.