Sicilia en Primeur 2025 closes the curtain: Assovini Sicilia focuses on wine tourism, sustainability and conscious wine consumption

The 21st edition of the event created by Assovini Sicilia ended in Modica. 100 journalists from all over the world participated in the press tours and the conference that focused on the current debate and the importance of wine culture as conscious consumption, wine tourism and sustainability.

“The Sicily of wine, tirelessly resilient, reflects on the past and projects itself with determination towards the future, finding in associations the strength to advance and grow incessantly”. The message from Mariangela Cambria , president of Assovini Sicilia, closes the 21st edition of Sicilia en Primeur , underlining the central role of the association in the global debate regarding the world of wine, defining a programmatic manifesto that leverages the cultural value of wine and the main factors that define it today: wine tourism, sustainability, conscious consumption, production quality. It was the city of Modica and its baroque setting – from the Castello dei Conti to the Teatro Garibaldi – that hosted the most important itinerant showcase of Sicilian wine, dedicated to the preview of the latest vintage, conceived and organized by Assovini Sicilia since 2004. A journey into the heart of Sicily of wine: the eleven wine tours that led the international press to discover the different winemaking souls of the island have consecrated the success of a format that makes the territory its protagonist. Over three hundred labels, presented in a technical tasting led by the AIS, offered a vibrant testimony of the dynamism and quality that animate Sicilian producers. Increasing attention to content, with the new formula of four talks that allowed for an in-depth look at current issues such as communication in the new generations, neuromarketing, protection and enhancement of wine production thanks to the new State labels. With the conference " The Culture of Wine in Sicily: a thousand-year history that looks to the future" , hosted at the Teatro Garibaldi in Modica , Assovini Sicilia puts the spotlight on the current wine factor in the economic-political and social context, offering new ideas and reflections. Moderated by Luciano Ferraro, deputy director of Corriere della Sera, the conference opened with institutional greetings from the Councilor for Agriculture Salvatore Barbagallo, and Felice Assenza, head of the ICQRF (Central Inspectorate for Quality and Fraud Repression) department of Masaf, who underlined the importance of "strengthening the traceability and control systems to protect the identity and competitiveness of our wine in the world. These controls - stated Assenza - not only protect the consumer, but also guarantee fair competition between producers, helping to eliminate counterfeit products from the market and to combat the phenomenon of Italian sounding, particularly widespread abroad". Starting from the pay-off of this 21st edition, The Culture of Wine in Sicily: a thousand-year history that looks to the future , it is culture, the leitmotif and thematic thread of the conference, expressed in the various contributions of the speakers, who reasoned, each according to their own area of expertise and action, on possible solutions and scenarios. In her inaugural speech , Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia, stressed that “ today, faced with global challenges that see wine at the center of a heated debate, it is essential to return to our roots to reflect and respond to future challenges. The next challenge for Assovini Sicilia is not only to maintain the high quality of wine production and invest in sustainability, but also to protect the cultural value against restrictive international dynamics, against a way of thinking that criminalises a product of civilisation, knowledge, beauty and tradition ”. Master of Wine Andrea Lonardi laid the foundations for a programmatic manifesto entitled The S factor: the uniqueness of the Sicilian wine continent , and explored the future of Sicilian wine through twelve key words that begin with “S” – from scenario to dream – offering a profound reflection on identity, sustainability and strategic vision. “It is necessary to retain young people, enhance the identity sites beyond Etna, create contemporary wines and narratives, train a new generation of winemakers to face the challenges. Sicilian wine can still remain a cultural symbol and a shared dream, if guided by vision and responsibility but with preparation, method and discipline”, commented Andrea Lonardi. It is written wine tourism and read culture of wine, travel and territory. From the vineyard to the digital showcase: the South that innovates between events, e-commerce and new models of hospitality for wine tourism, was the title of the speech by the professors of the Lumsa University, Dario Stefàno and Antonello Maruotti , who illustrated and commented on the results of the focus on Sicily of the research conducted by the new Wine and Oil Tourism Study Center of the LUMSA University, led by Dario Stèfano himself. “ The wine tourism offer in Southern Italy, and in particular in Sicily, that emerges from the CESEO survey, designs a dynamic model, rooted in tradition but capable of combining innovation and experience. Direct sales and e-commerce export are increasingly characterized as strategic channels of economic growth, with online taking on ever greater importance in turnover ” - declared Dario Stefàno, president of the Wine and Oil Tourism Study Center of the LUMSA University , and Antonello Maruotti, professor of Statistics (Lumsa University). The debate was enriched with the theme Awareness and wine culture: for informed and conscious consumption, or the relationship between wine and health, discussed by Sara Farnetti, specialist in Internal Medicine and in Physiopathology of Metabolism and Nutrition. “Wine is a unique, genuine, cultural heritage and as such it must be preserved. It makes no sense to introduce a ban on consuming alcohol, it would be logical and effective to raise awareness of consumption, to independently decide on a review of habits. In this way we bring about a cultural change, we teach respect and care for the individual” – added Sara Farnetti. Finally, the culture of wine in Sicily today cannot ignore the role of sustainability and the SOStain Sicilia Foundation , “which is proving – comments Alessio Planeta – to be an increasingly fundamental tool for the present and future of Sicilian wine”. On the stage of Sicilia en Primeur, Alessio Planeta, advisor to the SOStain Sicilia Foundation, presented new projects such as “ Honeybees and vineyard” on bee repopulation and bee biomonitoring, and the “Light bottle - CentoperCento Sicilia” which aims to reduce the carbon footprint. The SOStain Sicilia Foundation, born from the will and synergy between Assovini Sicilia and the Consorzio di Tutela vini Doc Sicilia, today has forty-four associated companies and 23.6 thousand bottles certified SOStain Sicilia. The grand finale at the Castello dei Conti di Modica with the walk-around tasting that saw 57 associated wineries as protagonists of the meeting with the press, in addition to the excellence of wine production with 300 wines for tasting. Sicilia en Primeur was also the occasion of the collaboration between Assovini Sicilia and La Sicilia di Ulisse, the association that brings together Sicilian excellence in the sectors of hospitality, gastronomy and viticulture, which organized the closing dinner of the event. “Sicilia en Primeur is another important step in the collaborative project between Assovini and La Sicilia di Ulisse aimed at promoting our region through its excellent food, wine and hospitality. Offering guests the experience of Sicilian haute cuisine, combined with the great wines of the area, was undoubtedly the most authentic form of promotion of our island, a living expression of its culture and identity” – commented Tony Lo Coco, president of La Sicilia di Ulisse. Another synergy put into play during Sicilia en Primeur is the event organized together with the Enoteca Regionale Sicilia Sud-Est and the Ats Strade del vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria, dedicated to a delegation of national and foreign journalists, guests of a tasting to discover the wines of the area. Wine - concluded Mariangela Cambria - cannot be deprived of its purest essence: its cultural value. Our wine culture promotes the Sicily brand in markets around the world, enhancing its history, diversity and uniqueness .