« Sicily's wine industry has taken up the challenge posed by climate change and through research, experimentation, sustainability and the valorization of biodiversity is trying to govern one of the most difficult moments for Sicilian viticulture ».
With these words Antonio Rallo, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Sicilian DOC Wines , opened the conference “ Resilience, research, strategy: Sicily governs climate change ” held in the Borsellino Hall of the Municipality of Syracuse on 22 September during the Expo Divinazione, on the occasion of the G7 Agriculture .
" Wineries and agriculture in general have implemented various actions in recent years to limit the damage caused by climate change, which is increasingly affecting people. We believe it is right to give voice to this work and ask for decisive intervention by the institutions to implement a plan for large-scale infrastructure works that are now urgent ," added Antonio Rallo.
Assovini Sicilia, the Consortium for the Protection of DOC Sicilia wines, and the SOStain Sicilia Foundation have come together to shine a spotlight on the actions and strategies implemented by the winemaking world.
« The context in which Sicily's wine industry is moving is increasingly evolving », explained Dr. Luigi Pasotti, Director of the Catania Unit of the Sicilian Agrometeorological Information Service (SIAS), illustrating in detail the island's water situation linked not only to the reduction in rainfall but above all to the increase in temperatures.
" The climate situation in Sicily is quite complex and climate change has clearly manifested itself in recent years through various phenomena. - continues Pasotti - In 2023, there was an increase in rainfall during the spring period, which favored the spread of fungal diseases, such as downy mildew. In 2024, an opposite condition occurred: a lack of rain starting from January, together with the increase in temperatures led to an early harvest. The high temperatures have determined a change in the levels of evapotranspiration of the soil which have increased drastically in the last 10 years, which can create future problems because the soil is unable to retain water and, consequently, the plants suffer more. In the future, we will have to think not only about covering and protecting the grapes but also about finding systems that safeguard and protect the soil while also increasing water reserves to cope with an increase in temperatures ", concluded Luigi Pasotti.
" In this scenario, the active intervention of the wineries becomes fundamental, the first sentinels of a territory that increasingly needs attention and rapid interventions that are often delegated to private individuals ", added Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia , who emphasizes the good practices of Assovini Sicilia companies to manage climate change. According to a survey conducted by the University of Messina for Assovini Sicilia, 80.5% of members have introduced new technologies and methodologies in winemaking and vineyard management, 22% participate in experimental projects in the vineyards; 20.3% have activated projects with research institutions to access cutting-edge technologies applicable in the field that can affect the quality of the product.
" Sicily winemaking - continues Mariangela Cambria - demonstrates innovation and competence in knowing how to face and manage future challenges that have an impact on the world of wine such as climate change. The work of Sicilian producers demonstrates that Sicilian winemaking looks to the future and continues to guarantee quality in production ".
And Giuseppe Bursi, vice president of the SOStain Sicilia Foundation , founded in 2020, at the instigation of Assovini Sicilia and the Consortium for the protection of DOC Sicilia wines, spoke about a sustainable future.
" As the SOStain Foundation, we were born with the clear objective of promoting the sustainability of the Sicilian wine sector; this concept does not only concern agricultural activity in itself but goes beyond the boundaries of the fields that are cultivated, as it also concerns the well-being of workers and the health of consumers, the involvement of local communities, the enhancement of the surrounding area, the conservation of natural resources - comments Bursi -. Closely linked to the theme of climate change, among the 10 minimum points required in our specifications, we ask for the application of the VIVA program. Companies are required to calculate, at an organizational level, the impact of their activities on environmental factors such as water, air and vineyards and adopt water and energy saving techniques. Companies are increasingly learning to be virtuous in the management of resources and to look to the future with a commitment that is not only business but also social ", concluded Giuseppe Bursi.
« The Consortium is also working more and more actively, promoting research projects that address climate change through innovation - continued Antonio Rallo, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Sicilian Doc Wines - alongside the actions undertaken by the wineries, the Consortium promotes the research projects Bi.Vi.Si, VISTA Lucido and Germoplasma viticolo, carried out in collaboration with IRVO, the University of Palermo and Milan, the Department of Agriculture of Sicily, Assoenologi ».
" We are proud of the three research projects carried out in recent years - adds Giuseppe Figlioli, oenologist and advisor to the Consortium -. The grapes of the VISTA Lucido project, coming from different terroirs of Sicily where the Lucido variety is grown, have been used for the future production of fine wines and sparkling wines with the Charmat Method. Regarding the Bi.Vi.Si project, instead, we are proceeding with the vinification, at the research center of the University of Oenology of Marsala, using the Grillo, Nero D'Avola, Lucido, Vitrarolo and Lucignola vines, all native Sicilian varieties. Finally, for the Germoplasma project, we have selected, collected and conserved the propagation material in special maintenance cells, or screen houses, in such a way as to have a fundamental database for the varietal and clonal choice of the Sicilian wine-growing of the future ".
"All this dynamism on the part of the wine sector, however, cannot fail to see the institutions at the forefront ", adds in closing Antonio Rallo, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Sicilian DOC Wines. " The water shortage and the increase in temperatures, which in recent years have had a direct impact on all agricultural production, require urgent solutions and interventions. We are facing a water crisis situation that requires water restrictions in the city of Palermo, yesterday's news, even if we are recording a return of rain in August and September. Unfortunately, even today, most of the water that rains on the island ends up in the sea. We therefore require a significant increase in public investments aimed at the creation of hillside lakes, the restructuring of existing dams to increase their storage capacity, the construction of large basins and the improvement of the water distribution network. These measures can and must be promoted by regional and national institutions to guarantee a sustainable future for Sicilian wine companies and all farmers ", concludes Antonio Rallo.
