February
7, 2005
Nero d'Avola Opens the Door for
Sicilian Wine
The Sicilia
of Quality Wine; Tradition and Innovation, a Formula for Success’
was the theme of the third annual “Rosso di Sicilia.”
Innocenzo Leontini, Regional Commissioner of Agriculture,
proclaimed his island the most dynamic wine region of Italy
and explained that Sicilia can benefit from its flexibility
as an up-and-coming wine area and its resultant ability to
adapt to changing market conditions.
Attilio Scienza has been chosen to study the various clones
of Sicilia’s great indigenous varietals and to create
a digital print of each one, allowing producers to read
the particular characteristics of the individual strains
and therefore to understand more completely the vines they
nurture. Sicilia’s classic Nero d’Avola was
especially central to “Rosso di Sicilia,” where
experts proclaimed it the harbinger that would open the
door for other indigenous Sicilian wines on international
markets. They pointed out its great reach from simple quaffs
to grand cellaring wines based simply on methods used in
the vineyard. Speaking for many of the island’s producers
was Nicolas Joly, a Burgundian winemaker who believes firmly
in biodynamic winemaking and who touted individualism as
the future of wine. He explained that although it may seem
difficult today to succeed financially with an obscure wine,
consumers will soon mistrust ‘look-alikes’ and
will reward originality in quality wine.
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