Sicily confirms itself as a strategic region in the wine sector, according to the Observatory on the competitiveness of the Wine Regions – Sicily created by Nomisma Wine Monitor in collaboration with UniCredit.
Sicily, with its 95,760 cultivated hectares, represents the second largest vineyard in Italy and boasts the record for the organic vineyard area. It confirms itself as one of the most important wine regions in Italy, with a strategic role in the national and international panorama. This is demonstrated by the data presented in the 2024 edition of the Observatory on the competitiveness of the Wine Regions – Sicily, created by Nomisma Wine Monitor in collaboration with UniCredit.
White wines and organic production drive Sicily
2023 was a complex year for the wine sector globally, with a decline in imports due to cyclical and structural factors. However, according to the UniCredit-Nomisma study, white wines and organic crops supported Sicily, mitigating the contraction of grape harvests due to extreme climatic events and the attack of downy mildew. On the export front, there was a 4% decrease in exports of PDO red wines, while the export of PDO still white wines grew by 7%. In particular, the export of Sicilian DOP white wines recorded an increase of 29% in the United States, 13.9% in Canada and 6.8% in Germany. As regards Sicilian PDO reds, the greatest growth in exports occurred with France (+7.5%) and the United Kingdom (+6.8%).
It is important to note that the Istat export data could underestimate the true volume of foreign trade of Sicilian wines and musts, since they only take into account the place of shipment abroad and do not consider the volumes of product that leave from ports located in other regions but they are Sicilian products. It is therefore estimated that foreign trade in Sicilian wines and musts is higher than the official Istat data.
Furthermore, the positive data also extends to large-scale organized distribution, with an increase in sales of regional PDO wines of 5.3% in value (against a national average of +3.4%) and 0.3% in volume ( against a decline of -1.9%).
In the 2024 edition of the Observatory, the results of a large survey involving 1,000 Italian wine consumers, representative of the Italian population by gender, age and territorial residence, were included. The main objectives of the survey were to evaluate the notoriety of the main denomination wines among consumers, identify the most popular regions in the production of wines by type and analyze consumption behavior at a territorial level, including frequency of consumption and purchasing channels. Furthermore, the perception of the Sicilia brand in the wine context was examined.
According to the results, Sicilian labels ranked fifth, behind wines from well-established regions such as Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. However, there was a notable rise for Sicilian white wines, which came in third place, mainly driven by Grillo. While for red wines, the island dropped to sixth place.
UniCredit in support of the Sicilian wine sector
Salvatore Malandrino, Regional Manager Sicily of UniCredit, underlined the importance of the UniCredit-Nomisma study in highlighting the evolving dynamics of the global and domestic wine market. These dynamics are influenced not only by factors within the sector, but also by broader economic and geopolitical issues.
UniCredit is committed to renewing its range of support tools for the wine sector, going beyond traditional credit support. This commitment is realized through initiatives such as the 1 billion euro ceiling as part of the ‘UniCredit per l’Italia’ initiative, which aims to support investments by agricultural and agri-food companies. Furthermore, UniCredit offers minibond bond issues and has renewed the structure of its network with the presence of managers and agribusiness specialists. These specialized resources are able to specifically support the realities of the sector, contributing to their development and growth in the context of a constantly evolving market.
Sicilia en Primeur 2024: a reference event
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, which will be held in Cefalù from 9 to 11 May. The event, which celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of Assovini Sicilia and the twentieth anniversary of the first edition of Sicilia en Primeur, will be a unique opportunity to discover the latest news on the Sicilian wine scene.
Over 100 journalists, Pietro Russo – new Master of Wine, and 59 wine companies will participate in the event, which is confirmed as the reference event for Sicilian wine.
Sicilia en Primeur 2024: Cultivating the future
The theme of Sicilia en Primeur 2024 is “Cultivating the future”. A theme that retraces the most significant stages of Assovini Sicilia and looks to the future with optimism and confidence. The objective is to further enhance Sicilian wine as Italian excellence in the world.
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