Regional Institute of Wine and Oil

Microvinifications in land confiscated from the mafia

by Manuela Zanni

In the wine sector, research and experimentation never ceases to amaze. If on the one hand, in fact, we are witnessing an ever-growing desire on the part of oenologists and producers to improve the most representative native vines of our island, such as Grillo and Nero d'Avola, just to name a few, on the other hand there is a equally fervent activity that leads professionals to invest time and energy in the search for minor native vines and in experimenting with the wines coming from them.

The results? Really interesting.

It was precisely in the name of research and experimentation that at the experimental winery “G. Dalmasso" in Marsala, in the province of Trapani, of the Sicilian Wines and Oils Institute, two days of tasting were held aimed at disseminating to sector operators the results of the first "experiments" carried out in some experimental vineyards of Irvo. This is an interesting project carried out by Irvo on some parcels of the "Verbumcaudo" land, an experimental vineyard, in the territory of Polizzi Generosa, in the heart of the Madonie, in the province of Palermo, confiscated from the mafia and assigned to the heritage of the Sicilian Region and named after Placido Rizzotto, intended for the "Sicilian viticultural germplasm bank", where more than thirty varieties of minor or disappearing vines have been planted, recovered by the Regional Department of Agriculture. The vineyard is managed in collaboration with the “Lavoro e non solo” cooperative which carries out the cultivation operations necessary for the plants.

The tasting involved nine wines, three of which were white and six red, coming from different varieties of recovered native vines and subjected to experimentation by Irvo. Almost all the wines tasted highlighted a pleasantness on the nose accompanied by a good sip enjoyment, leading to the hypothesis that in the future companies will be able to expand their offer of wines from native Sicilian vines.

In particular, among the whites, the Nave el Alzano stood out. While Anonima, Bracau, Prunesta, Racinedda among the reds. Furthermore, two red wines were tasted, the first of which came from the Merlese, a vine obtained from the cross between Sangiovese and Merlot and the second, and the Ervi, obtained from the cross between Barbera and Croatina, which both highlighted a strong personality, an excellent structure and body and extreme persistence and elegance on the palate, making them the favorites of those present at the tasting and on which to focus the greatest expectations. The tasting was led by the Irvo manager Antonio Sparacio assisted by the oenologists Salvatore Sparla and Giacomo Alberto Manzo who illustrated the organoleptic characteristics of each wine, hypothesizing rosy future prospects. And judging the first results obtained we can only agree.

“These are mini-vinifications made last year – says Vincenzo Cusumano, director of Irvo – An experimental activity which is being concluded in Marsala and which is giving important and interesting results. The aim is for these vines to be of interest to Sicilian producers who, perhaps, will later make blends of them for sale"