Safeguarding agro-food in Sicily

The Institute became a Research Body of the Sicilian Region in 2007 and in 2011 it was also given the skills to be able to operate in the Sicilian Oils sector.

In recent years, following the cuts suffered by regional transfers, the organization has become the leader of numerous scientific research projects in the wine sector, in order to improve and requalify Sicilian wine production and intercept funding from the European Union.

For twenty years now, Sicilian wines have become high quality wines, capable of competing internationally with the most important wines from other regions of Italy such as Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto and from abroad such as French, Californian, Australian, Chilean wines.

All this thanks to the enormous work carried out by the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil since the late 80s, early 90s, as well as by some Sicilian wine entrepreneurs enlightened and supported by profound regional commentators and journalists connoisseurs of the sector, who, realizing the enormous potential of the Sicilian vine-wine heritage, expected the natural conditions of the region, the climate, the soil, the geographical position, the types of vines persisting in Sicily, came through the activity of research and applied experiment both to wines from native vines such as Grillo, or Nero D’Avola in purity or in blending with blends from international vines always grown in Sicily, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot , to a true cultural revolution and, why not, a renaissance of Sicilian wine production, until then characterized by wines f vegetable gardens, which were used to give body and structure to the wines of the North.

Today, Sicilian wines obtain prizes and acknowledgments in the most important international wine competitions; the production boasts 23 DOC 1 DOCG and 7 IGP and last but not least, not in order of importance but in chronological order, the DOC SICILIA.

Since 2009 the Institute has also become a Control and Certification Body of quality Sicilian wine production, providing services to the island’s winemaking companies ranging from laboratory analysis of wines for export, to research activities in favor of sparkling wine production. of the Island or aimed at improving wines such as Zibibbo, Passito di Pantelleria or Marsala wine, promotional activities such as participation in national and international trade fairs and exhibitions, one of all, the best known, the Vinitaly of Verona .

We can, therefore, certainly count the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil as a virtuous example of a Regional Public Body, which has always attributed to wine the value of “Cultural Good” of the island and not just food, safeguarding, enhancing and spreading throughout the world a unique heritage of agro-food in Sicily.

Emilia Mulè – Director of the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil of the Sicilian Region