Sicily

As I mentioned in a recent post, I had the pleasure of attending a tasting of Wines of Sicily.  Wine production has a long history in Sicily, at least as far back as the 8th century BC, when Greeks colonized the island.  In more recent times, Sicily’s best known beverage has been Marsala, a fortified wine named for a city in the northwest of the island.  However, Sicily today produces a wide range of white, red and sparkling wine, as well as a variety of dessert wines and grappas.  The tasting consisted of three flights of four wines each, themed as whites, reds and dessert wines.  Here is the listing of the wines poured (with photos here):

• Whites
1. Sicilia IGP Cavallino Bianco Carlo Pellegrino 2010
2. Sicilia IGT Inzolia Barbazzalle Bianco Cottanera 2009
3. Sicilia IGT Carolina Marengo Feudi del Pisciotto 2007
4. Etna DOC Pietramarina Bianco Superiore Benanti 2007
• Reds
1. Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG COS 2009
2. Etna DOC Serra della Contessa Benati 2006
3. Contea di Sclafani DOC Rosso del Conte Tasca D’Almerita 2004
4. Sicilia IGT Duca Enrico Duca di Salaparuta 1996
• Dessert
1. Passito di Pantelleria DOC Coste di Mueggen Benanti 2005
2. Malvasia di Salina DOC Capofaro Tasca d’Almerita 2007
3. Marsala Superiore Secco Vito Curatolo Arini
4. Marsala Vergine Riserva Vito Curatolo Arini

The hierarchy of quality/restrictiveness of classifications in this listing is Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) / Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP) with the grapes being from a particular region (I’m pretty sure they’re the same, with IGP more typically used for non-wine products such as cheese), Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) being a more restrictive set of rules for a particular region with a higher expectation of quality, and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) being the highest quality with the most stringent restrictions on production.  Sicily has a single DOCG (Cerasuolo) and 23 DOCs (including one covering the island as a whole).  Theoretically anyone on Sicily could produce Sicilia DOC wine, but the restrictions on yields and therefore on revenue make it a tradeoff relative to the higher premium producers might expect over just labeling their wines IGT/IGP.  DOC wines account for just a very small percentage of total wine production, with most of it being for dessert wines.

Sicily is a warm place, closer as a whole to North Africa than to Rome.  It has a number of factors that make it well suited to growing grapes.  The terrain itself is very hilly, allowing the planting of vineyards to optimally take advantage of the sunlight, warmth, and altitude. Also, being an island, the sea is never far, and the cooling influences of the breezes provide desirable diurnal temperature variation.  The soils of Sicily are generally described as poor, which combined with a low amount of rainfall, make for the challenging conditions under which vines can be expected to yield some of their best fruit.  The geography of the island is dominated by volcanoes, from the still active Mount Etna in the east to the now rolling hills in the west of long dormant siblings.

The traditional wine of Sicily is Marsala, a fortified wine in the tradition of Port and Sherry, with a similar history of being initially created from a local wine with spirit added to aid in transport by boat to England.  While at one time it was a hugely popular export, it has fallen to niche status and is most commonly found outside of Italy used in cooking.  Wine production in Sicily has undergone great changes over the past two decades and is in the midst of further still.  There has been a significant shift from gobelet and bush vines to wire training, which has allowed the introduction of mechanization and a lower cost structure.  Outside consultants have been used to good effect, and quality levels have risen considerably.

In addition, the use of indigenous Sicilian grapes has become a great selling point.  While international varieties have made some headway into Sicily, the climate is not nearly as well suited as it is for native varieties, which have become increasingly well known.  The most widely planted, the white grape Catarrato, is largely used to make grape extract, but others such as Inzolia and Grillo have been recently made into modern styled white wine.  Grecanico is another white grape grown locally, though it may in fact be Garganega by another name, so not strictly indigenous.

The best known of these trendy Sicilian grapes is Nero d’Avola. While it accounts for only 13% of total vineyards, it can produce high quality varietal wines with great barrel maturation and ageing potential, and can bring body, colour and longevity to a blend.  Such is its popularity that New World producers in California and Australia are cultivating it in warm climates.  Perricone, Nerello (Mascalese and Mantellato) and Frappato are also important local red grapes, though more typically found as components of a blend.

While this only scratches the surface of Sicily, I’ll go into more detail with some of the grapes and regions as I profile a few of the wines and producers from the tasting over the coming weeks.