Palermo, 12 May. (Adnkronos/Labitalia) – Double birthday for Sicilian wine, which celebrated 25 years of Assovini Sicilia, the association that brings together one hundred wine companies on the island, and 20 years of ‘Sicilia en Primeur’, the annual preview of Sicilian wines. The occasion was precisely the 2024 edition, number 20, of ‘Sicilia en Primeur’, which took place in Cefalù from 9 to 11 May, in which over one hundred journalists from the Italian and foreign press participated. Fifty-nine associated companies were present, together with professionals and experts in the sector, who led technical seminars and masterclasses, including Pietro Russo, new Master of Wine.
The event, conceived and organized by Assovini Sicilia since 2004, confirms itself as the most important event for Sicilian wine. ‘Cultivating the future’ was the theme of ‘Sicilia en Primeur’ 2024, which also saw a moment of celebration of this double anniversary, in which the most significant stages of Assovini Sicilia were retraced, from its birth to today, projecting towards the future.
The president of Assovini Sicilia, Mariangela, recalled the intuition of the three founding fathers of Assovini Sicilia, the producers Diego Planeta, Giacomo Rallo and Lucio Tasca, underlining the importance of associations and launching a message of confidence for the future. Cambria. Antonio Rallo, president of the Doc Sicilia Consortium, also underlined how successful associations are and embodies the spirit of collaboration of Sicilian producers and stated that it is necessary to “create demand for Sicily in the world of wine”.
For Alessio Planeta, CEO and technical manager of the Planeta Agricultural Companies, we need to “listen to the market” and “act quickly” and in what is now a real mission, sustainability, the farmer must be a “biophile “, aiming not only to preserve but also to improve the environment. And it is precisely to promote sustainability that the SoStain Foundation was born, as its president, Alberto Tasca, said, defining it as a “movement of producers for producers” and announcing the 3rd International Sustainability Symposium for October, which will have a focus on digital and on artificial intelligence.
Also speaking at the celebration event that opened ‘Sicilia en Primeur’ 2024 were Maurizio Danese, CEO of Veronafiere, who recalled the extraordinary success of Vinitaly and the importance of believing in the wine system, and Matteo Zoppas, president of the Agency Ice, who underlined the recovery of the sector in the post-Covid period and despite the international situation, invited us to raise the bar. Aidaf, Italian Family Business, was also present to highlight the importance of the generational transition in Sicilian businesses.
Then, the testimonies of the Italian press, with the director of Winenews, Alessandro Regoli, who observed that “the Sicily of wine has won the bet”, and abroad with Monica Larner, reviewer of Robert Parker Wine Advocate, who pointed out how the event has created hundreds of small ambassadors of Sicilian wine in the world in 20 years. Finally, Dario Cartabellotta, general manager of the Agriculture department, brought greetings from the Sicilian Region.
