Research and innovation to determine a competitive strategic factor with a high identity content. The Sicily of wine bets on the biodiversity of the largest island in the Mediterranean and looks to the future, enhancing its varietal heritage, from the most widespread vines to the lesser-known varieties, the so-called relic varieties but which, interpreted with modernity and the use of new technologies can constitute an advantage of uniqueness and development. Fourteen wines, seven white and seven red, were studied, analyzed and proposed for the first wine tasting of the Bi Project. Vi.Si., central moment of the Second Campaign Day planned by the Operational Group at the Federico Paulsen Regional Nursery in Palermo last March 5th. 14 winemaking trials of some clones of varieties planted in four different viticultural contexts to grasp the potential of a research project whose main objectives are to transmit the results obtained to the production system, both in the field and in the glass. There was a large audience of producers, teachers, agronomists, oenologists and journalists who crowded the "meeting" space of the F. Paulsen Regional Nursery.
The participation of the students of the SAAF Department of the University of Palermo, involved in the research, was also notable. A morning dedicated to the wines of tomorrow, the result of the 2023 harvest, and of cultural and oenological practices implemented within the same project.
“ Fourteen wines for tasting, laboratory tests but with a great future, because these are vines that already have a history – declared Prof. Onofrio Corona, of the SAAF Department of the University of Palermo -. We are studying their clones to understand if there are different facets that can be exploited in a market increasingly eager for new grips on the territory. It is therefore important to meet here together in order to best convey the results of scientific research to the production system ."
Nero d'Avola, Perricone, Vitrarolo, Nocera, Lucignola, Catarratto and Grillo were the protagonists of a seminar dedicated to the very first results of the regional project born in 2022 and promoted by the Doc Sicilia Consortium for the valorisation of some native and relic vines, with focus to challenges that are more current than ever, such as climate change and sustainability. Elegance and identity are the values of white and red wines that are the subject of experimentation and which become representative of a now tangible winemaking tomorrow.
“ We are at the litmus test, with a load of innovation for the production fabric of the wine supply chain; an innovation that starts from afar and which also recovers information from the past because it involves delving into the most widespread regional vines and the so-called relic vines, perhaps a little forgotten and which today could instead prove to be significant resources for diversifying production. Innovation is accompanied by the competitiveness of the system, to have something that others don't have. ”, explained Maurizio Gily, Innovation Broker of the Bi.Vi.Si Project , who with Prof. Rosario di Lorenzo illustrated the technical-scientific results of the research work, with the moderation of Dr. Tiziana Lipari.
Expressive varietal fidelity, evolutionary capacity of the wines over time, taste-olfactory harmony and balance, pleasantness and intensity of the aromas, persistence on the palate, softness of the tannins are just some of the elements that characterized the wine tasting and the discussion with the speakers called to conduct this first project tasting. “ Today we have some fixed points that capture the laboratory analytical and taste-olfactory differences deriving from the cultivation habitats of four different areas on the same vine and on the same clone – continues Prof. Corona -. By superimposing the results obtained, we are able to grasp the differences and opportunities that derive from this first harvest vinified with unique procedures and technologies. The harvest itself was approached, in the different habitats, with a systemic approach to evaluating the ripening curves of the berries, in order to have a raw material suitable for this evaluation approach ".
Research is continuous work and Bi. You. Yes., in this sense, it is committed to shedding light on building more efficient means of investigation, intervening on various fronts: nursery and rootstocks, agronomic management of selected biotypes and winemaking processes. The second day of the campaign was therefore a moment of profound sharing on a constantly evolving strategic sector, as well as a precious opportunity to visit the regional nursery, a center of excellence for Sicilian agriculture, named after Federico Paulsen, the scholar who for for over fifty years he guided it, consigning it to the history of European and world viticulture.
“There are five experimental fields from which the grapes were taken and then vinified; we are studying the behavior of some varieties to better understand which one will be able to give us a great wine in the future, the success of a new Sicily", added Antonio Rallo, President of the DOC Sicilia Consortium , who concluded the work with his speech. Also among those present were Magda D. Paulsen, a descendant of the scientist .
Already last October, a Workshop was held in the town of Marsala (Trapani) to offer food for thought on valorisation and research procedures, in light of the very first results of Bi.Vi.Si. Yesterday was an opportunity for discussion which once again highlights the virtuous synergy between public and private in looking responsibly at the new frontiers of Sicilian viticulture, increasingly aware that viticultural biodiversity is the guardian of a timeless richness
