Regional Institute of Wine and Oil

Essentia Sicily: IRVO alongside companies to promote Sicilian oil and wine

The official presentation of the project took place on January 9th at the Sala dei Dipinti of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo “Essentia – Sicily Taste & Travel”, a strategic initiative that sees IRVO alongside 22 Sicilian companies in the olive and wine sectors to promote the island's food and wine excellence.

Present Joseph Mistretta, IRVO Extraordinary Commissioner, Vito Bentivegna, Director General IRVO, and theCouncilor for Agriculture Salvatore Barbagallo, who underlined the importance of creating a system to combine the promotion of local products with the scenic, archaeological and cultural beauties of Sicily.

The project aims not only to enhance DOP, IGP and organic products, but to integrate the entire Sicily system to connect seaside villages, nature reserves, tourist routes and excellent agri-food productions. “Essentia” It thus becomes a model for relaunching the territory, focusing on synergies between agriculture and tourism.

Among the participating companies, Planeta, Tasca d'Almerita, Alessandro di Camporeale and Manfredi Barbera stand out, along with other representatives of Sicilian excellence in oil and wine. The project includes B2B meetings, educational tours and promotional activities with international buyers and journalists visiting to learn about the island and its production peculiarities.

A busy calendar of events for 2025
As announced during the event, IRVO is engaged in a complex program that aims to project Sicily into the international food and wine scene. Among the planned activities:

– Incoming of international operators from United Arab Emirates and from the Swiss;
– Participation in important events such as Vinitaly, Sol And Vinitaly Organic, with dedicated collateral events;
– Presentation of the tourist itineraries promoted in collaboration with the Sicilian DOC and IGP Consortia at Wine Paris.

Councilor Salvatore Barbagallo stated: “Essentia represents a fundamental starting point to strengthen the bond between our products and the territory, creating a network capable of supporting and growing the entire Sicilian system. The goal is to make our excellence known to the world, enhancing them not only as products but as an expression of our culture and tradition.”

With Essence, IRVO and the Regional Department for Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fisheries, reaffirm their commitment as catalysts for development and innovation, confirming the strategic role of Sicily as the European Region of Gastronomy 2025.

For updates on the initiative, follow the IRVO website and the project's social channels @essentiasicily.