The updates relating to the current project were presented during an appointment at Vinitaly, in the Hall Meeting Room of the Sicily Region, " The identity of the Sicilian vineyard - The Paulsen nursery and the enhancement of Sicilian grape germplasm ": after the greetings of President of the DOC Sicily Consortium Antonio Rallo, the Director of Area II Programming of the Regional Agriculture Department Vincenzo Pernice, the President of the Italian Academy of Vine and Wine Rosario Di Lorenzo, the Agronomic Consultant of the Project Lorenza Scianna took part.
" The results of the work of the scientific community of the University of Palermo - said the Councilor for Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fishing Luca Sammartino - together with the Regional Department and the DOC Protection Consortium of Sicily are extraordinary. heritage that today focuses on the family tree of Sicilian wines and establishes a register that can be used by all Sicilian winemakers to enhance the biodiversity of the productions of our territories and convert some areas of the Region into production areas. next Vinitaly where the Sicilian Region will try to promote its brand and position itself higher and higher on the markets, despite the contraction suffered by Italian exports. Together with the scientific community and the partnership of public and private, we will be able to build new opportunities ".
The project aims to preserve the biodiversity generated by the 3,000 years of viticulture on the island and its native varieties and to intervene upstream of the wine-growing chain, providing nurserymen with basic material from which to obtain a certified product to be supplied to companies. By working with vines whose varietal identity and health integrity is certain, it is possible to give value and support to the quality of Sicilian wines. Thanks to the project, the phytopathological verification of the existing initial plant fields is underway and the reconstitution of new fields with virus-free materials, from which to obtain the propagation material for the production of grafted and certified cuttings.
" Among our priority commitments is that of dedicating ourselves to the conservation of biodiversity generated by the 3,000 years of viticulture on the island ; - underlines the president of the Consorzio Vini DOC Sicilia Antonio Rallo - The Consortium's task is also to protect the vines that can best represent the ampelographic richness of the island. The project in support of the "Vigneto Sicilia" therefore becomes central for us for the development of Sicilian oenology in order to combine tradition and high quality in a scenario in continuous transformation ".
In the first year of the project, three vine growers were set up with initial material supplied by the Paulsen nursery previously subjected to laboratory tests to ascertain varietal purity and the absence of virosis. The cuttings thus produced were used in the second year of the project for the establishment of two fields of mother plants of the initial category located in the Petrosino countryside. The gems are taken from these fields to be supplied to the nurserymen, for the production of certified material.
At the moment the fields host 10 clones of Sicilian varieties approved by the Sicily Region, namely, Perricone, Alicante, Nerello Cappuccio, Nero D'Avola, Carricante, Greganico, Grillo, Zibibbo, Catarratto, Moscato bianco) but in 2023 the foundations were laid to start the cloning process also of other biotypes whose agronomic and oenological profile is to be traced and still "minor" varieties such as Minnella Nera, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera, Alicante and "relic" varieties, i.e. Vitrarolo, Recunu, Orisi, Lucignola). Sicilian companies will therefore soon have the opportunity to purchase certified material of native varieties from local nurserymen.
