A film called The Legend of Sicily gives us a glimpse into the beautiful landscape of the Italian island of Sicily: crystal clear waters, beautiful seabeds and endless hills that make people revel in it. Not only is Sicily an unparalleled landscape, it is also an important wine region. Sicily is the most famous enhanced wine region in Italy and today is one of the fastest-moving and most anticipated wine regions in Italy.
1. History of Sicilian wine development
Although Sicily has a history of growing grapes in the 8th century AD, the real history of wine development is only a few decades. Once upon a time there were few wineries here, and during the World War, Sicily's wine industry was in a depressed phase. Beginning in the 1980s, when many large wineries began to appear in Sicily, the wine industry began to rise. By the mid-1990s, Sicily had become italy's largest producer, producing 1 billion litres a year, and these wines were mainly supplied to vintners in the north for bartending. After the turn of the millennium, Sicilian vintners became acutely aware that the wine industry had moved towards quality, so they slowly reduced their production and began to focus on quality, which was around 700 million litres. At present, Sicily has produced many marsala and single varietal wines of the world's top standard, making it the most expected wine region.
2. Characteristics of Sicilian terroir
Located at the southernmost tip of Italy and surrounded by the sea, Sicily has a typical Mediterranean climate with sunshine and moderate rainfall all year round, making it ideal for grape growth. Sicily is an island formed by volcanoes with a lot of volcanic activity, home to Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. These volcanoes bring a dark, mineral-rich soil that gives the grapes a more concentrated flavor, on which most slope vineyards are located. The vineyard soil located in the plain area is mostly alluvial soil, influenced by marine minerals, and the soil is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other elements, giving the wine a unique taste and an elegant and balanced body structure.
3. The main grape varieties of Sicily
The most promising red grape varieties in Sicily are the black pearl (Nero d'Avola) and the Nerello Mascalese. White grape varieties are mainly Catarratto, Carricante musk and Muscat.
(1) Black Pearl: The most famous and widely planted red grape variety in Sicily, reaching 14,000 hectares. Black pearls usually mature in the middle and late, the tannins are thick and the acidity is more appropriate. Black pearls were previously primarily used to provide deep colour and full-bodied wines when blended, but now more and more vintners are starting to make single-variety black pearl wines. Black pearl wines are ideal for ripening in oak barrels, with deep colours, often with rich aromas of plum, blueberry and chocolate, rich in tannins, suitable acidity and great aging potential.
(2) Mascas Nelero: Late maturing varieties, suitable for planting on volcanic soils, usually behave a bit like Pinot Noir, but in Sicily it shows the characteristics of Nebbiolo, which is an important raw material for making a strong etna Rosso DOC and some fine sparkling wines.
(3) Catalato: the largest grape produced in western Sicily, most of which is transported to the cooler wine-producing regions of Italy to increase the body of the wine. This variety is an important raw material for the brewing of marsala wine, and can also be brewed into some high-quality table wines with crisp taste and full of personality.
(4) Calikante: Prefer the ash soil of Mount Etna and are an important raw material for making Etna white wine (the content shall not be less than 60%, and the collector's grade content shall not be less than 80%). Calicante is not grown in size overall, but the wines are of very good quality, often with hints of white flowers and ores, high acidity, elegant taste, and an ageing capacity of more than 10 years.
(5) Musk: the most potential white grape varieties, often with rose, peach and melon and other aromas. Many DOC models in Sicily are made from musk, such as the famous Moscato di Pantelleria, Moscato di Noto and Moscato di Siracusa.
4. Well-known Sicilian wines
Currently, Sicily has 1 DOCG and 21 DOC regions and produces many very fine wines, the most famous of which is Marsala.
(1) Marsala: Mainly made by Catalato, Grillo and Inzolia, aged using the Solera System, similar in style to Sherry and Port, both are fortified wines. But it is also slightly different, when making marsala wine, in addition to the spirits, you can also add fresh or heated concentrated grape juice. Masala is generally about 20% by alcohol, has a soft taste, has an almond aroma, and is suitable for pairing with stewed, hot stir-fried and tenderly fried dishes, and has long been sought after by the world and is the pride of Sicily.
According to the color, it can be divided into: Oro (golden yellow, equivalent to Golden), Ambra (amber, equivalent to Amber) and Rubino (ruby red, equivalent to Ruby).
According to the sugar content, it can be divided into: dry type (Secco), semi-dry type (Semi-Secco) and sweet type (Dolce).
According to the aging time, it is divided into: Fine (aged at least 1 year); Super (Superiore, aged at least 2 years); Supere Riserva (aged at least 4 years).
(2) Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine: The only DOCG appellation in Sicily is the Victoria Serasolo. This DOCG wine is a blend of black pearls and Feappato that takes on a cherry red (Cerasuolo meaning cherry) hue, full of intense red berry aromas, and the refreshing acidity perfectly balances the sweet aroma of the berries.
(3) Malvasia delle Lipari: A fortified wine made from the white grape variety Malvasia, similar to Madeira, with a prominent smoky taste and acidity.
(4) Moscato Moscato wine: it is made from musk grapes, sometimes mixed with some Inzoria. In Sicily, Moscato wines are usually sweet wines, often with aromas of roses, peaches and melons.
(5) Etna Rosso (DOC): Made from Mascas Nellello, its style is similar to Barolo, slightly spiced, strong in structure, heavy in tannins, high in acidity, but not as good as Barolo in ageing potential and complexity.
5. The status of Sicilian wines in Italy
(1) Production: The average annual production of Sicilian wine is 700 million liters, ranking 3rd after Veneto and Emilia Romagna.
(2) Quality: Sicily in the 1990s mainly brewed general quality table wines for northern vintners to use for bartending, since 2000, the quality has been continuously improved, but the overall quality is not as good as in Tuscany and Piemonte.
(3) Features: Sicily is the most famous enhanced wine region in Italy, and its marsala wine is comparable to the well-known Sherry and Port wines, which are second to none in Italy.
6. Well-known wineries in Sicily
(1) Girolaso Winery
Named after the owner, Girolamo Russo, a well-trained pianist with a degree in Italian literature, took over the family's winemaking business in 2004 and took charge of the winery' management, he paid great attention to the details of viticulture. The vineyards at Château Girolaso cover an area of about 16 hectares, most of which are used to grow Mascas Narello and a small number of other grape varieties. All wines produced by the winery are organic.
Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2008 from Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso San Lorenzo was named one of the most treasured "100 Wines" of 2012 by the famous wine magazine Wine Enthusiast; Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2013 was named by renowned wine critic James Salin Suckling) was named one of Italy's "100 Best Wines" of the year 2015.
(2) Donaggata Winery
Donnafugata has been making wine since more than 150 years ago and has 260 hectares of vineyards, growing mainly typical Italian grape varieties such as Catarato and Black Pearl, as well as some exotic varieties that are well tuned to grow locally, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier, One obvious benefit of this is the ability to blend a bottle of wine with 4-5 grape varieties, allowing them to complement each other.
The winery has been award-winning since 1995, with the likes of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate magazine and The UK's Decanter giving its Contessa Entellina vintage of Black Pearl grapes 90-93.
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