The 21st edition of Sicilia en Primeur wine festival is underway

ROME - From May 6 to 10, people from all over the world are set to have the opportunity to experience Sicily’s wine culture with Sicilia en Primeur returning for the 21^st time. 

 The wine festival organized by Assovini Sicilia is set to have a delegation of 100 Italian, European (France, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Norway) and non-European (Canada, USA, Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Brazil, United Kingdom) countries who will be given the no-doubt arduous task of exploring Sicily and discovering the richness of its food, wine and also cultural heritage. 

 "The Culture of Wine in Sicily: a thousand-year history that looks to the future", a slogan that sums up the message that Assovini wants to launch this year. “Wine – explains Mariangela Cambria, President of Assovini Sicilia – in addition to being an agricultural and commercial product, is an essential element of universal culture that spans centuries and civilizations. The culture of wine today also translates into a culture of travel. A journey that starts from the vineyard, from working the land, goes through an annual cycle, arrives at the glass, at the bottle, on tables all over the world. Sicilia en primeur will tell journalists part of this journey”.

Like every year, in fact, journalists will be involved in 11 press tours that will explore every corner of Sicily, from Etna to Pantelleria, from Marsala to Agrigento, from Monreale to Lipari, to then meet in Modica where the choral moment of the event will take place on May 9 and 10.

 On May 9th at 9 am there will be the technical tasting at the Castello dei Conti di Modica and with 4talks on current topics, including the tools to communicate wine to the new generations, an in-depth analysis of the new State labels to protect Made in Italy, neuromarketing and consumer psychology, and a talk on the numbers of Assovini Sicilia.

At 5:30 pm, appointment at the Teatro Garibaldi in Modica with the conference on the culture of wine understood as informed and conscious drinking, as promotion of the territory through wine tourism, as protection of the environment through increasingly sustainable good practices.

 Speakers include Master of Wine Andrea Lonardi who will talk about “Factor S: the uniqueness of the Sicilian wine continent”, followed by a speech by Dario Stefàno, president of the Wine and Oil Tourism Center (Lumsa University), and Antonello Maruotti, professor of Statistics (Lumsa University) on “The South that innovates between events, e-commerce and new hospitality models for wine tourism”. The spotlight will be on “Wine culture: for informed and conscious consumption” by Dr. Sara Farnetti, Ph.D. Pathophysiology of Metabolism and Nutrition. Finally, “Sustainable future of Sicilian wine” will be discussed by Alessio Planeta, President of the SOStain Sicilia Foundation. The conference will be moderated by Luciano Ferraro, deputy director of Corriere della Sera.

 The day of the 9th will end with the gala dinner organized in collaboration with La Sicilia di Ulisse, an association that brings together Sicilian excellence in the hospitality, gastronomy and viticulture sectors. The menu will be curated by chefs Accursio Craparo of Radici, Vincenzo Candiano of Locanda Don Serafino (1 Michelin star), Giuseppe Causarano and Antonio Colombo of Votavota (1 Michelin star) and Giuseppe Torris of Cortile Santo Spirito (1 Michelin star). The Antica Dolceria Bonajuto of Modica will finally propose two specialties of its own production, namely Sicilian cassata and chocolate.

“This year, Sicily has been named the European gastronomic region 2025,” says Cambria. “To underline the happy partnership between food and wine at Sicilia en Primeur, the chefs of Sicilia di Ulisse will share their culinary art in the final dinner dedicated to the producers.”

The event will end on Saturday 10 May, again at the Castello dei Conti, with tastings of wines from the 57 Assovini Sicilia member producers who will present their labels to journalists. Subsequently, a delegation of national and foreign journalists will take part in the event organized in collaboration with the Enoteca regionale Sud-Est and the Ats Strade del Vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

THE 57 COMPANIES PARTICIPATING IN SICILIA EN PRIMEUR

ALESSANDRO DI CAMPOREALE, ARIANNA OCCHIPINTI, BAGLIO DI PIANETTO, BAGLIO ORO, BARON OF VILLAGRANDE, BENANTI, CAMPORE', HORUS WINERY, FINA WINERY, CARUSO & MININI, GRAZIA HOUSE, FAZIO WINERY, COS, COTTANERA, CRISTO DI CAMPOBELLO, CUSUMANO, GIURFO RESIDENCES, DONNAFUGATA, DUKE OF SALAPARUTA, FEUDI DEL PISCIOTTO, FEUDO ARANCIO, FEUDO DISISA, FEUDO MACCARI, FEUDO MONTONI, FIRRIATO, GIASIRA, GIROLAMO RUSSO, GRACI, GULFI, THE CUSTODIANS OF THE ETNA VINEYARDS, MAGGIOVINI, MANDRAROSSA, MAUGERI, PALMENTO COSTANZO, PELLEGRINO, PIETRADOLCE, PLANETA, PRINCES OF BUTERA, RAMADDINI, SANTA TRESA, SERRA FERDINANDEA, SPADAFORA WINEMAKERS IN SICILY, TASCA D'ALMERITA, CASTELLATO ESTATE, FERRATA ESTATE, GORGHI TONDI ESTATE, RAPITALA' ESTATE, BOSCO ESTATES, NAVARRA ESTATES, NICOSIA ESTATES, TERRA COSTANTINO, TERRACES OF ETNA, TORNATORE, ACATE VALLEY, VINDING, VIVERA, ZISOLA.