Category: Wine and Food Pairings

The 2025 edition of Sicilia En Primeur was held from May 6th to 10th in the historic city of Modica, located in southeastern Sicily, providing a culturally rich and architecturally significant setting. One hundred international wine journalists and 57 wineries came together to experience over 300 labels for tasting, four specialized talks, and eleven wine tours. For 21 years, Sicilia En Primeur has been celebrating the evolution of a diverse wine region on the Mediterranean’s largest island. Its history, culture, traditions, and gastronomy are as rich as they are diverse.

Assovini Sicilia was founded 26 years ago by Diego Planeta, Lucio Tasca d’Almerita, and Giacomo Rallo, who launched an association to lead the way to a Sicilian wine renaissance and has since grown in membership and international success due to their visionary and collaborative approach. This year’s event theme was “The Culture of Wine in Sicily: A Thousand-Year Story that Looks to the Future” and focused on wine’s cultural value, responsible consumption, wine tourism, and sustainability.

Mariangela Cambria, President of Assovini Sicilia, emphasized how the association promotes wine as a product of civilization, knowledge, beauty, and tradition, positioning Sicily as defender of wine culture against restrictive global dynamics. The association’s success is based on innovation and adaptability, integrating new generations into company management roles while focusing on sustainability and cultural preservation.

In addition to the conference, Sicilia En Primeur organized eleven wine press tours exploring Sicily’s diverse terroirs from Etna’s volcanic slopes to Pantelleria’s sun-drenched vineyards, from Marsala’s historic cellars to emerging zones across the island. The tours revealed the extraordinary versatility of Sicily’s wine landscape and innovative approaches across different microclimates and altitudes.

Central to Sicily’s identity remains Nero d’Avola, representing over 60% of Sicilia DOC production with remarkable +441% growth since 2017. Four distinct biotypes correlate to different macro-zones: Central-Southern Sicily produces deep-colored wines with high alcohol and soft tannins; Western Sicily yields lighter, consistent wines; Eastern Sicily delivers higher polyphenol wines with characteristic herbaceous notes reminiscent of Cabernet Franc, often described as caper nuances. Catarratto emerged as exceptional for Classic Method sparklings at high altitude, while beloved Frappato showcased remarkable versatility in rosés, bubbles, and blends with Nero d’Avola.

Sicily represents international significance with over 8,000 vine-growers, 530 bottlers, 24,600 hectares, 86 million bottles annually, and Europe’s largest organic vineyard area with 26,000 hectares. DOC Sicily, established in 2011, serves as a powerful ambassador for the island’s diverse heritage.

This year’s collaboration with La Sicilia di Ulisse distinguished the event, featuring Michelin-starred chefs in the gala dinner celebrating Sicily’s 2025 European Gastronomic Region designation. This collective unites Sicilian distinction across hospitality, culinary arts, and winemaking industries. Strengthened collaborations with Enoteca Regionale Sud-Est and ATS Strade del Vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria delivered concentrated regional expertise on southeastern territories.

The comprehensive technical tasting showcased 300 wines from 57 producers, demonstrating Sicily’s evolution from bulk production to premium, terroir-driven wines competing internationally. Four specialized talks addressed contemporary challenges, including communication strategies, neuromarketing, and new State labelling initiatives.

Sicily stands as a territory achieving worldwide acclaim through substantial environmental stewardship commitments. The 2025 Sicilia En Primeur positioned itself as a cultural declaration safeguarding wine’s civilizational importance while championing innovation, ecological responsibility, and mindful consumption, demonstrating that Sicily’s viticultural community spearheads international discourse regarding wine culture’s evolution.

Sicily’s Wine Renaissance: Tourism Meets Timeless Tradition

In addition to the broad array of high-quality wines, Sicily offers stunning scenery and a unique historical and architectural heritage. Some of the best-preserved sites of antiquity are found across the island and are layered with all the cultures that came after. In less than an hour, one can visit Sicily’s largest Greek theatre in Taormina and do a wine tasting on the slopes of Mt Etna. Optionally, visit Moorish-influenced mosaics at a Norman cathedral in Palermo, then spend the afternoon exploring the best Marsala wineries. Few places offer such rich experiences with wineries that are so well-equipped to receive visitors. Among the members of Assovini Sicilia, almost all of them have a dedicated tasting room for visitors, and more than half offer experiences such as cooking classes and spa treatments, and winery tours that interact with the landscape and culture. The most popular experiences offered are sunset tastings, dinners in the vineyard, and a chance to join the grape harvest. One third of these wineries also have accommodation where wine enthusiasts can stay on the property, fully immersed in the terroir and culture of the winery.

During the Sicily En Primeur, some fantastic territories were explored on the press trips. Sveva Consonni, my collaborator, visited some great wineries and provided the following report.

Tenuta Rapitalà

Rapitalà (Arabic for “God’s Garden”) embodies a unique cultural fusion that began in 1968 when Laurent de la Gatinais’s French father and Sicilian mother settled on the island. Their vision: “drinking Sicily from a French point of view” – marrying French winemaking expertise with indigenous Sicilian varieties.

The 225-hectare estate spans diverse microclimates, with indigenous plantings dating to 1963 and international varieties introduced systematically from 1968-1985. Today, the family produces 2 million bottles annually across their Dominio Rapitalà and Horeca lines.

After achieving organic certification in 2021 (following a careful transition that began in 2011), Rapitalà continues collaborating with the University of Palermo on innovative viticultural practices. Their harvest extends from early August through late October, accommodating the estate’s varied terroir and commitment to optimal ripeness.

Serra Ferdinandea

A collaboration between Planeta and French financier Oddo, Serra Ferdinandea represents Sicily’s most ambitious biodynamic experiment. Located in Menfi at 500m elevation, this 110-hectare estate occupies pristine territory untouched by agriculture for 300 years.

The philosophy is radical: “The place, not the producer’s ego, is central.” Only 15 hectares are planted to vines, with 16 hectares preserved as Mediterranean forest where semi-wild livestock graze, producing compost naturally. The remaining land grows ancient grains, indigenous chickpeas, and native figs. This holistic approach yields an extraordinary 10% crop vigour compared to 3.5% on conventionally farmed land.

Biodynamic preparations (500, silica, iron, nettle) guide vineyard management, while grape placement follows terroir logic: Syrah on high slopes, Nero d’Avola on exposed rocky sites, Grillo and Sauvignon Blanc mid-slope for freshness. The wines bear no names—simply rosé, white, and red with vintage—letting the place speak for itself. Production: 30,000-40,000 bottles annually.

Feudo Arancio

Named for the medieval orange groves that once covered this land, Feudo Arancio represents large-scale sustainability done right. Now part of the Mezzacorona Group, this 200-hectare estate produces 7 million bottles annually while maintaining organic certification since 2007.

Water management showcases their environmental commitment: natural springs, two estate-fed lakes, plus Lake Arancio provide irrigation only when necessary. The 60-person team hand-manages all vineyard operations except harvest, working across diverse elevations from 120m to 300m where sandy and clay soils create distinct terroir expressions.

Their altitude-driven approach produces two distinct Nero d’Avola styles: a fresh, approachable version from higher vineyards and a complex, concentrated expression from lower, clay-rich sites. Night harvesting for whites (3-9 AM) preserves aromatics, while innovative techniques include post-harvest grape drying on vineyard wires. Even their Pinot Noir, grown near shady forest cover, develops more structure than typical northern Italian versions. The estate also produces premium olive oil from 15 hectares of indigenous varieties.

Mandrarossa

Part of the impressive Settesoli cooperative network (6,000 hectares, 20 million bottles), Mandrarossa emerged in 1999 as the premium expression of this collaborative model, producing 1 million bottles annually from the “Terre dei Sicani” district.
Their scientific approach centers on micro-vinification and the principle of “right grapes on ideal soils,” utilizing five experimental plots across different soil types. This research-driven philosophy, supported by partnerships with the University of Milan, helped establish them as early adopters of international varieties alongside traditional Sicilian ones.

The 11-kilometre territory strip remains completely uncontaminated, supporting both VIVA certification for economic/social sustainability and low environmental impact credentials. Vineyard management combines modern techniques (90% spur-pruned cordon) with traditional methods (10% bush vines), while irrigation covers only half the plantings. Night harvesting for whites runs from midnight to 5 AM, ensuring optimal fruit quality across their diverse portfolio spanning both Menfi and Etna appellations.

Feudi del Piscotto Wine Relais

Established in 2002, Feudi del Pisciotto is strategically located in southeastern Sicily, between the Roman Villa of Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone, a town famous for its ceramics, and just 5 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea. It’s 44 hectares of vineyards, situated around 250 meters above sea level, that benefit from a unique terroir and climate. The altitude, combined with the nearby coastline, creates moderating influences ideal for producing premium wines.

The estate meticulously cultivates its vineyards, treating them with the care of a botanical garden. This dedication by their viticulturists contributes significantly to the high quality of their wines. Annually, Feudi del Pisciotto produces up to 400,000 bottles.

Their plantings include indigenous Sicilian red grapes such as Nero d’Avola and Frappato, along with international varieties like Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Nero. They also feature less common Sicilian grapes like Semillon and Gewürztraminer, used to produce an exceptional Passito dessert wine. These international varieties grown in Sicily exemplify the belief of renowned oenologist Giacomo Tachis that Sicily has the potential to cultivate almost any grape variety successfully, provided expert knowledge and careful viticultural practices are applied.

Gulfi Cantina

Gulfi embodies the true essence of Sicily, crafting distinct wines deeply rooted in their specific origins. Inspired by the mythical love of Eros and Psyche, Gulfi passionately translates Sicily’s beauty into wines of pure pleasure.

Vito Catania carries on his family’s three-generation winemaking heritage with a profound love for wine and his homeland. Since 1996, in Chiaramonte Gulfi within Ragusa’s Monti Iblei, he has expertly blended innovation with ancestral knowledge, focusing on meticulous massal selection and vine cultivation.

Gulfi’s vineyards extend from the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG in Monti Iblei to the Eloro DOC in Pachino, yielding four remarkable Nero d’Avola wines, each defined by its unique terroir. Their portfolio culminates on Etna’s northern slopes in Randazzo, where ancient Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines flourish at high altitudes.

Gulfi’s philosophy respects nature through traditional, unirrigated bush-vine cultivation, honouring ancestral methods and natural cycles. Their commitment to organic farming stems from a deep respect for both the land and the consumer, celebrating the manual harvest as a time-honoured ritual.

Filippo Magnani