On Sicily

For years, we’ve been reading about the incredible potential in southern Italy. Well, Sicily is delivering the goods.

From fresh crisp whites to seriously hearty reds and very fine sweet wines of Pantelleria and Lipari Islands, Sicily seems to be outgunning the rest of the south in the rinascimento of quality wine. And as a source of value, Sicily ranks among the top sources in the world. Nearly all of the wines in the report are under $20, and there is a handful of very good wine under $10 (Ontario), the kind of wine you can buy by the case and keep on hand for parties and large gatherings, backyard barbecues and cottage weekends.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean. It’s a land of rugged beauty and deep-seeded tradition. Physically and culturally, Sicilians stand apart from mainland Italy.

The island’s history, culture, language and traditions have been formed by a succession of occupiers that reads like a whose who of history books: Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Arabs, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese and Bourbons, among others. It was eventually forcibly assimilated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. This multi-millennial mix of cultures has resulted in a fascinating region of incredible richness in art, literature, architecture, cuisine and wine. In recognition of its uniqueness, Sicily was one of only 5 Italian regions granted special autonomous status in the Constitution of Italy in 1946.

In wine terms, Sicily is a giant. It has the largest acreage under vine of any Italian region, although it was recently surpassed by the Veneto as the most productive in terms of volume. Sicily lays claim to a few vinous specialties, not least of which is the historically famous fortified wine of Marsala. As almost to enforce the foreign influence on Sicilian culture, its most famous wine is an English invention, developed by John Woodhouse in the 18th century as another source of sherry-like wine outside of Spain. Marsala, sadly, is insignificant in Canada, with few examples available, despite the recent resurgence in quality. What a shame.

There are no fewer than 23 DOCs (appellations for wine) on the island, though most remain totally unknown and collectively represent less than 5% of the island’s total output. One of the more recognizable is Bianco d’Alcamo, for generally clean, modern whites made mainly from the most planted grapes on the island, catarratto, grillo and insolia. And certainly one of the leading DOCs in term of quality is Etna DOC, for wines grown at high altitude, up to 1000m, on the steep, pure volcanic slopes of Mount Etna on the east side of the Island. The whites made principally from carricante are some of Italy’s most mineral and intriguing, while the reds made from nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio are among the most elegant and singular. A Burgundian philosophy of village and vineyard designated wines makes these even more interesting to follow.

There is one DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), Cerasuolo di Vittoria, which is well worth looking for. Made in the southeast corner of the island around the town Vittoria, it is a blend of Sicily’s most important red grape, the sturdy nero d’Avola, and the delicate, pinot noir-like frappato, with its pale garnet colour, light tannins and smoke and earth-tinged strawberry flavours (It’s not to be confused with the Cerasuolo from Abruzzo, which is a generic name for rosés made from montepulciano).

The overwhelming majority of Sicilian wine comes under the generic Indicazione Geografica Tipica Sicilia designation, which allows for maximum flexibility in varietal composition and wine style. This is the category in which the majority of exciting, good value wines can be found. Aside from a few interesting (and some very good) wines from international grapes like syrah, cabernet and chardonnay, and the most well-known export is the red nero d’Avola, Sicily’s international calling card.

Nero d’Avola is a versatile grape that can span the spectrum from juicy and peppery (think northern Rhône syrah) right through to deeply coloured, rich, plush and solidly structured. It is believed to have originated in the southeast corner of the Island near Syracuse, Avola and Ragusa, but today it is grown throughout the region.

Sicilian whites from native varieties (grillo, catarratto, inzolia, grecanico) are for the most part light, crisp and fresh, with few aged in wood and most best consumed within a year or two. These are seafood and shellfish wines – just imagine yourself on the coast at Taormina, over looking the straights of Messina while enjoying grilled swordfish in a sauce of olive oil, lemon, capers and Pachino cherry tomatoes and a bottle of cool and crisp local white…

For more information on the wine and food of Sicily visit: http://www.italianmade.com/regions/region19.cfm