Sicilian PGI oil at one and a half million litres: Tuscany surpassed

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On the one hand the Sicily of oil that is growing, on the other the Sicily of wine that aims to renew itself and find new vines and new solutions to counteract the decline in consumption. The outcome of Vinitaly for the island, from the point of view of growth of some productions and strengthening of those that already have a strong brand, is certainly positive. Without hiding the need for greater efforts to make everything sustainable: a little self-criticism on the part of those with responsibilities certainly wouldn’t hurt rather than always shifting attention to the alleged responsibilities of others. The debate is ongoing, we’ll see.

A Vinitaly that will be remembered for the intensity of initiatives and meetings, both technical and cultural. First of all, the culture of respect promoted by the newly formed “Marisa Leo Association”, a wine professional and woman, activist against gender violence, killed on 6 September by her former partner in Marsala. Vinitaly awarded her – in her memory – the prize named after the father of the fair “Angelo Betti”.

The primacy of Sicilian oil

Meanwhile, the oil (25 producers present at the Sol in Verona): according to data from the certifiers, the PGI Olio Sicilia is the first denomination in Italy, surpassing the PGI Toscana which historically has always been at the top of the great extra-virgin oils of olive oil in the country: the production of the island’s olive-growing chain amounts to one and a half million litres, which, based on controls, has obtained certification and protection of the denomination. The President of the PGI Olio Sicilia Mario Terrasi expressed his great satisfaction, underlining how fast the recognition process was, which began in 2017 and which saw the birth of the Protection Consortium in 2022: «We must recognize the heritage of Sicilian oils biodiversity that has always distinguished our productions – he says -. This record enhances its value and must push all oil producers to adhere to the Sicily PGI, observing the production regulations, the true seal of guarantee of the product.” A result achieved thanks to the commitment on this front by Irvo (the regional wine and oil institute) in recent years on oil and which must find new motivations on the distinctive peculiarities of Sicilian oils: «Our wealth _ he explains commented the Director of Irvo Gaetano Aprile lies in the olive biodiversity and in the production specializations capable of matching the right oil to each dish”.

The challenge of the new generations

But Vinitaly was also an opportunity to get the new association of young producers off the ground. It is called Generation Next and brings together the third generations of producers in an ideal continuity which, having roots in the past, is committed to a future vision of Sicilian oenology: a group of young people under 40 who already work within family businesses and who following the example of Assovini Sicilia they signed an agreement to work as a team, with a strong female component. «Sicilian wine moves forward on the legs of young people thanks to the visionary work that their grandparents and parents have achieved, transforming the land of bulk wines into an international wine brand. Now let’s leave it to the young people” says the director of the regional agriculture department Dario Cartabellotta.

Relic wines look to the future

At the center of all the debates was the issue of climate change, to address which Sicilian producers have decided to invest in native varieties, even the “relic” ones, the forgotten ones, such as Vitrarolo, which already have the key in their DNA to survive in situations of water and environmental stress. The first bottle was presented, born from the idea of ​​two long-time friends, Bruno Fina and Francesco Pulizzi: the first owner of the renowned Cantine Fina, the second agronomist and owner of the Azienda Agricola Pietro Pulizzi. Vitrarolo is currently cultivated on two thousand square meters of land which has produced 20 quintals of grapes for the production of 1,600 bottles divided in half between the Fina family (winemakers) and Pulizzi (suppliers of the grapes). The first bottles of Vitrarolo produced by the Fina company. A bottle resulting from research started in the early 2000s promoted by a group of officials from the Sicilian region who were part of the regional agriculture department and directed by Dario Cartabellotta. Therefore starting from the assumption that in some remote places in Sicily, spared from phylloxera, it had been possible to safeguard this heritage of wine varieties over the years, these technicians, experts and enthusiasts, have explored far and wide all the most remote places in Sicily, meeting and interviewing farmers. Discovering the qualities of Vitrarolo. Which is not the only one: it has been ascertained that some clones of Nero d’Avola and Grillo, historic native vines, can provide valid indications for mitigating the effects of drought.