Dario Cartabellotta is 40 years old and he looks like an English gentleman. He has recently been appointed director if the Institute Vite e Vino, the most important economic sector in Sicily. He is specialized in agrometeorology and he has also dealt with the technical assistance and he directed the department for the infrastructural interventions in Agriculture. “The recent history of the Sicilian wine is extraordinary”, he starts. “Nothing similar has happened in the other economic sectors of the island. We went from the ships that transported marc to France, Tuscany and Germany from Pachino, Riposto and Marsala, to a 1 billion Euros turnover a year”.

When did the turning point take place?

When the vignerons’ war obliged Sicilians to become businessmen, and the help for distillation given by the French.

What is the situation in Sicily now?

In the last ten years 35 thousands hectares were used for the production of grapes, with native and non vines. We went from wine ships to business. In fifteen years we invested one billion Euros, half public and half private, starting from 1994. Now we must gather the benfits”.

What are the reasons for this improvement?

In Sicily the reason is the brand. At first there were only Piemonte, Tuscany and Veneto. Now we are “perceived” in foreign countries as the fourth most important region. In August the Economists published a report on the wine sector, stating that Sicily is the only real new perspective.

What is the real problem?

The 80 thousand hectares that come from the wine cooperatives which were born at the time of distillation. They obtained grants for 80 million Euros, that are now disappearing. This sector is not protected and it is out of the market. We must do something for this enormous quantity of wine from cask…”

How can you intervene?

“Improving the chain with a sharing of its value from the inside. So the chain contract must be updated, price and quality must be imposed. You should not invent anything, you should put in practice what happens in the other sectors, like the apples from Trentino Alto Adige or parmesan cheese. Do you remember the Tanzi case in Termini? It did not end well because the chain contract was not well organized”.

What difficulties does this turnaround have?

“We must face two important realities, the French and the Australian. The French have quality wine but prices are high, the quality of the Australian wines is not very high and prices are low. Sicily has unbeatable raw materials, that can be put on the market with an excellent quality and competitive prices compared to the French. The future will be ours if we want it to”.

What does Mr. Cartabellotta suggest?

“We must point to our territory, homologation (Australian, Chilean, etc…) has no future. A wine linked to its territory and the French logic of consumption…”. “If we focus on our territory, we will beat competition. We have the best vineyards with a Sicilian taste, so we are on the same level of the French, but our prices are more competitive”.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute