Palermo, 29 April. (Labitalia) – Sicily is the second largest ‘vineyard’ in Italy by extension, with 95,760 hectares of cultivation, and is the first region in terms of organic vineyard surface area. This is one of the data emerging from the Observatory on the competitiveness of the wine regions – Sicily, created by Nomisma Wine Monitor in collaboration with UniCredit, presented today in Palermo. 2023 was a complex year for the wine sector, with a decline in imports at a global level linked to both cyclical and structural reasons. Added to an overstock of purchases by importers, generated by fears of disruptions in supply chains and price increases, were the effects of the economic slowdown and the decline in consumer spending capacity, put under pressure by inflationary phenomena. Alongside these impacts of a cyclical nature, the effects of the structural changes that have long affected wine consumption have become more evident: reduction in purchases of red wine, less propensity to consume by the younger generations, greater attention to alcohol content and orientation of preferences towards lighter and lower alcohol wines. White wines and organic crops are driving Sicily, which is resisting the contraction of the grape harvests of the last harvest due to extreme climatic events and the attack of downy mildew. On the export front in Sicily in 2023, exports of PDO red wines decline (-4%) while exports of PDO still white wines grow (+ 7%). The export of Sicilian DOP white wines is growing in the United States (+29%), followed by Canada (+13.9%) and Germany (+6.8%). For Sicilian PDO red wines, the greatest export growth occurred with France (+7.5%), followed by the United Kingdom (+6.8%). It should, however, be specified that the Istat export data take into account the place of shipment abroad, so the quantities of Sicilian wine which do not leave directly from Sicily for abroad, but leave from ports located in other regions which these product volumes are counted as wine exports. Therefore it is estimated that in reality the foreign trade of Sicilian wines and musts is higher than the official Istat data. The positive data also comes from large-scale organized distribution where sales of regional PDO wines grew by 5.3% in value (against a national average of +3.4%) and by +0.3% in volume (against a decline of -1.9%). The 2024 edition of the Observatory was enriched by the results of a survey involving 1,000 Italian wine consumers, representative of the Italian population by gender, age and territorial residence. The objectives of the survey were, among others, to evaluate the notoriety of the main denomination wines among consumers, identify the regions most appreciated in the production of wines by type and show consumption behavior at a territorial level (frequency, channels purchase), perception of the Sicilia brand. Sicilian labels placed fifth behind wines from Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, Tuscany and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Among red wines, the Island drops to sixth place but rises to third for white wines. Grillo is leading this ‘white’ growth. “The UniCredit-Nomisma study highlights a constantly evolving global and domestic wine market – says Salvatore Malandrino, Regional Manager Sicily of UniCredit -, both for reasons within the sector and for broader dynamics relating to the economic and geopolitical sphere. Precisely for this reason UniCredit – he adds – has committed to renewing the range of support tools for the sector, to complement traditional credit support”. On the occasion of today’s meeting, the 2024 edition of ‘Sicilia en Primeur’ was presented, the annual preview of Sicilian wines organized by Assovini Sicilia, scheduled in Cefalù from 9 to 11 May. ‘Cultivating the future’, the theme of Sicilia en Primeur 2024, retraces the most significant stages of Assovini Sicilia – from its birth to today – projecting itself towards the future. “Sicilia en Primeur 2024 will be a special edition with a double birthday: twenty-five years since the foundation of Assovini Sicilia and twenty years since the first edition of Sicilia en Primeur. The association, which today brings together one hundred wine companies, is the protagonist of the history of Sicilian viticulture and its revolution”, says Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia.
