ITA_GG_N45-WEB

ITALY
– ORGANIC WINES –
Mount Etna is a volcano, recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2013.
Palmento Costanzo’s vineyards are planted at its foot
Recent DNA analyses of more than 2,000 grape varieties
have traced the beginning of Sicilian viticulture back
to the Copper Age (6,000-5,000 years ago!), while
archaeological findings in Sardinia prove that the island’s
populations were already cultivating vitis vinifera in the
Nuragic period (1800 BC to the 2nd century AD). These are two
of the oldest winegrowing areas in the world which, thanks in part
to their ‘isolation’, have been able to maintain truly indigenous
varietal genetics. Combined with vines brought to the islands by
other populations over the centuries, they now form two very
varied and distinctive ampelographic bases.
Due to their particular soil and climate conditions, the two regions
can pride themselves on a winegrowing approach geared towards
sustainability, with Sicily holding the record for the largest area
of organic vineyards (36% of its 100,000 hectares of vineyards,
putting it in first place for total area of vines - more than the whole
of South Africa!). In Sardinia, certified hectares are still low (less
than 10% of the total), but traditional viticulture has always been
respectful and sustainable, and the growth of organic vineyards
has accelerated in recent years. In 2020, the region also launched
a project that will involve the entire agri-food sector, including
wineries, in the creation of Europe’s largest organic district.
As evidence of the different approaches to sustainable winegrowing
in Sicily and Sardinia, we have selected the following excellent
wineries.
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 95