With the planet warming at an eye opening pace, Sicily is a hotbed (literally) of possible climate change resistance. Here we have grape varietals that are well adapted to immense heat and are exceptionally water efficient. That said, it is not immune to the challenges.
Nearly every producer we visited during our trip last fall lamented about a loss of 50% of their normal vineyard yield. In some places it was up to (gasp!) 90%. A horrifying spring deluge flooded the island for six weeks throughout April and May, washing away the baby wine blooms with it. Following that the island suffered through temperatures that reached up to 120 degrees in July. Much of the grapes that survived were severely sunburned or withered into raisins. We were lucky enough to visit during their harvest, and seeing that in person was revelatory. But, many people we talked to were downright sad about the amount of grapes being brought into the winery. The 2023 vintage will be interesting to say the least, with limited quantities, there might not be much to go around, let alone exported.
While climate change is not going away, there’s hope! Take Perricone, a favorite among locals - a more uncommon black grape variety originating from western Sicily which is usually cultivated low to the ground. It has spherical berries with very waxy, thick, dark blue skin, and exhibited a lot less of the mildew and sun damage that plagued much of the 2023 vintage elsewhere on the island. Could this be the new climate change resistant varietal we’ll be seeing a lot more of around the world? Often made into a red wine characterized by a solid and soft tannic base, a good alcohol content and long persistence, but some producers make it into a delectable rosato. Stay tuned...
📸: organically farmed Catarratto vs. Perricone from the same vineyard
Explore the variety and wonder of diversity of Sicilian grapes in our latest Waddle release, See wine club link in bio 🔗 🍇
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