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Sicilians battle the elements to improve
By Aubrey Buckingham |
April 5, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE very mention of Sicily conjures up images of the dusty, sun-beaten isle depicted in the 1988 Oscar winning film, "Cinema Paradiso." But while the island is hugely popular among holiday makers for vast beaches and pristine waters, there is more to it than just sun, sea and sand.
The suggestion that the island is a "continent of wine" is not far off the mark, with its coastal areas, valleys and even the slopes of an 800-meter-high active volcano (Mount Etna, with one of the world's longest documented records of activity) providing a diverse array of terrior, each with its own microclimate.
First, the facts and figures. The island covers about 2.6 million hectares, of which about 120,000 hectares are under vine, equal to 17 percent of the national total. Roughly 64 percent of these are planted with white grapes and the rest red, with a mixture of both local indigenous varietals and international grapes such as merlot and syrah, among others.
Of the local cultivars, the common cattarratto white grape is most prevalent, with about 31.76 percent of vines, while the island champion nero d'avola (red) comes second with 16.1 percent, and inzolia rounds off the top three at 6.5 percent. Next week I'll delve a little deeper into the soul searching taking place during the many tastings conducted during the program regarding the identity of these and other indigenous varietals.
While many wine tours provide great insight into the vineyards themselves and the growing conditions shaping these grapes, "Sicilia en Primeur 2009," sponsored by its perennial backer Banca Nuova, chose to highlight its wineries and the leaps and bounds made in ensuring the wines are kept as clean as possible from the moment they arrive at the facility, during fermentation, as they are bottled and then again through further aging before exporting.
While many new wine lovers take it for granted, the issue of hygiene has plagued many medium-level producers in recent decades, and the topic of such exotic conditions as brettanomyces ("brett" is a form of yeast that forms during fermentation; a little gives character to wines but too much, as a result of improper handling, can taint) or volatile acidity, among others, has typically been raised vis-?-vis Italian drops. Factor in the hot dry summers, with average temperatures reaching a high of 27 degrees Celsius in September when harvest typically starts, and any improperly cooled grapes in storage become the oenological equivalent of a tinderbox near a flame.
Due to these adverse conditions, many producers opt for the laxer Indicazione Geografica Tipica designation (allowing foreign grapes to be used) instead of the more restrictive Denominazione Origine Controllata. Tuscany was the first to bring IGT to prominence with its Super Tuscans marketing push in the United States, but in Sicily's case the impression is that leeway is needed in case the elements conspire against quality wines.
Journalists were informed of these changes because Sicilian wine exports are growing and are subject to fierce competition from New World counterparts who have spent incredible amounts of money on infrastructure. In 2007, for example, 427,519 hectoliters valued at 84.78 million euro (US$112.54 million) was exported to countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
Chinese prospects
At present, not a tremendous amount of Sicilian wine is exported to the Chinese mainland, although what is available here is regarded as a pick of the best. The most prominent are the Firriato and Donnafugata labels, both with export potential.
Firriato, distributed locally by Torres China, is a New World winery in the Old World, all stainless steel with a preference for local grapes to achieve an international style. Quarter Bianco, for example, is an equal blend of grillo, cattaratto, carricante and zibibbo - the island's main white grape. While the intention is noble, the result comes off as a pure marketing exercise with no regional flair. The quality is evident though, and a good example is its newly launched passito L'Ecru (a sweet wine made from dried grapes that concentrate the juice) which was fresh with solid acidity.
On the other hand Donnafugata, distributed by ASC Fine Wines, has got the international market down pat, with picturesque facilities (using a mixture of stainless steel and glass lined concrete, as vintner Antonio Rallo points out that electrons in the metal transfer to the wines) and wines that make use of international grapes to good effect.
The winery put on a vertical tasting of its acclaimed passito, Ben Rye, with a selection from the past decade, and the amazing freshness and remarkable complexity in its sweet wine (often labeled sticky) make it the ideal candidate for global prominence.
Next week: the significance of international markets on Sicilian viticulture
The suggestion that the island is a "continent of wine" is not far off the mark, with its coastal areas, valleys and even the slopes of an 800-meter-high active volcano (Mount Etna, with one of the world's longest documented records of activity) providing a diverse array of terrior, each with its own microclimate.
First, the facts and figures. The island covers about 2.6 million hectares, of which about 120,000 hectares are under vine, equal to 17 percent of the national total. Roughly 64 percent of these are planted with white grapes and the rest red, with a mixture of both local indigenous varietals and international grapes such as merlot and syrah, among others.
Of the local cultivars, the common cattarratto white grape is most prevalent, with about 31.76 percent of vines, while the island champion nero d'avola (red) comes second with 16.1 percent, and inzolia rounds off the top three at 6.5 percent. Next week I'll delve a little deeper into the soul searching taking place during the many tastings conducted during the program regarding the identity of these and other indigenous varietals.
While many wine tours provide great insight into the vineyards themselves and the growing conditions shaping these grapes, "Sicilia en Primeur 2009," sponsored by its perennial backer Banca Nuova, chose to highlight its wineries and the leaps and bounds made in ensuring the wines are kept as clean as possible from the moment they arrive at the facility, during fermentation, as they are bottled and then again through further aging before exporting.
While many new wine lovers take it for granted, the issue of hygiene has plagued many medium-level producers in recent decades, and the topic of such exotic conditions as brettanomyces ("brett" is a form of yeast that forms during fermentation; a little gives character to wines but too much, as a result of improper handling, can taint) or volatile acidity, among others, has typically been raised vis-?-vis Italian drops. Factor in the hot dry summers, with average temperatures reaching a high of 27 degrees Celsius in September when harvest typically starts, and any improperly cooled grapes in storage become the oenological equivalent of a tinderbox near a flame.
Due to these adverse conditions, many producers opt for the laxer Indicazione Geografica Tipica designation (allowing foreign grapes to be used) instead of the more restrictive Denominazione Origine Controllata. Tuscany was the first to bring IGT to prominence with its Super Tuscans marketing push in the United States, but in Sicily's case the impression is that leeway is needed in case the elements conspire against quality wines.
Journalists were informed of these changes because Sicilian wine exports are growing and are subject to fierce competition from New World counterparts who have spent incredible amounts of money on infrastructure. In 2007, for example, 427,519 hectoliters valued at 84.78 million euro (US$112.54 million) was exported to countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
Chinese prospects
At present, not a tremendous amount of Sicilian wine is exported to the Chinese mainland, although what is available here is regarded as a pick of the best. The most prominent are the Firriato and Donnafugata labels, both with export potential.
Firriato, distributed locally by Torres China, is a New World winery in the Old World, all stainless steel with a preference for local grapes to achieve an international style. Quarter Bianco, for example, is an equal blend of grillo, cattaratto, carricante and zibibbo - the island's main white grape. While the intention is noble, the result comes off as a pure marketing exercise with no regional flair. The quality is evident though, and a good example is its newly launched passito L'Ecru (a sweet wine made from dried grapes that concentrate the juice) which was fresh with solid acidity.
On the other hand Donnafugata, distributed by ASC Fine Wines, has got the international market down pat, with picturesque facilities (using a mixture of stainless steel and glass lined concrete, as vintner Antonio Rallo points out that electrons in the metal transfer to the wines) and wines that make use of international grapes to good effect.
The winery put on a vertical tasting of its acclaimed passito, Ben Rye, with a selection from the past decade, and the amazing freshness and remarkable complexity in its sweet wine (often labeled sticky) make it the ideal candidate for global prominence.
Next week: the significance of international markets on Sicilian viticulture
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