Regional Institute of Wine and Oil

Expo, IRVO events on 5 July

A day entirely dedicated to Sicily and its wines at the Expo in Milan. It will be held on Sunday 5 July. Among the organizers is the Regional Institute of Wine and Oil. There will be various events, including tastings and conferences.

At 4.30 pm a guided tasting will take place at Palazzo Italia c/o EXPO Milan. “Grillo and Zibibbo local wines” is the theme. The two varieties in fact represent two strong points of Sicilian enography. Used for a wide range of types of wine, from very fine whites, to dessert wines and liqueurs. The tasting will involve six wines, produced at the “G. Dalmasso” of IRVO. Specifically, this is a Grillo and a dry Zibibbo, both from 2014, obtained as part of projects aimed at the technological improvement of white wines. A dry Zibibbo and a sweet passito from 2013 obtained with grapes from an experimental vineyard on the island of Linosa, included in the “Promed” project of the PO Italia-Malta 2007-2013. And finally two Grillo wines, 2010 harvest, from the Marsala area refined and evolved in wood. The tasting will be led by the institution's oenologist Giuseppe Genna.

Two other events, which involve IRVO, will be held as part of conferences. The first scheduled for 2.30 pm, in the conference room of the Expo2015 Italian Pavilion, organized by the Sicily Region in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture and Forestry and Productive Activities, with the Sicilia Doc Consortium and Assovini Sicilia. “A mosaic of wines, past, present and future” is the theme of the debate in which personalities from the Italian and foreign wine world will participate. The main objective of the conference will be to promote the Sicilian wine production system, using the issue of environmental, economic and social sustainability as a common thread and interpretative key. Daniele Oliva, Head of the IRVO Biotechnology Unit, will present a report on Sicilian yeasts in the first part of the conference which will address the more technical-scientific aspects of the meeting. The second part will instead focus on an overall look at the theme "The future of wine in the world. What could Sicily's position be?

The other appointment will be at 5.30 pm in the high delegation room, also inside Palazzo Italia c/o EXPO Milan. “Heroic agriculture: Etna and the islands” is the title of the conference. This is a workshop that will involve experts on the topic to provide a general framework and at the same time address and explore the critical issues through comparison with other realities, such as Spain and Greece. Among the speakers will be Antonio Sparacio, head of the viticultural and oenological research unit of the IRVO, who will address the topic of viticulture in the smaller islands of Sicily.