Italian Wine Regions - Sicilia
The grapes for Danzante Merlot are selected from the province of Agrigento in Sicily. Viticulture in Sicily dates back around 4000 years and, while ancient wines from this region earned prestige around the world, until recently, modern wine growing has focused on high production and dessert grapes. Fortunately, in the past few years, there has been a rebirth in Sicilian wines with gradual conversion towards quality. The warm Sicilian sun promotes perfect ripening of the grape, which is essential in creating great wines.
History and Tradition
One of the first inhabited areas of Italy, Sicily was named after the ancient Siculians who introduced agriculture and animal husbandry in the 3rd millennium B.C. The Phoenicians came next followed by the Greeks and the Romans. Later inhabited by the Normans and Germans and later the subsequent Angevin, Aragon and Spanish domination, the structural and cultural advancements of the previous inhabitants were reversed. Sicily in the end became a Spanish colony and agriculture languished as the land was parceled into large estates characterized by low productivity.
In the 19th century the criminal organization famous all over the world as the Mafia was born and, when Sicily became a part of the newly born Italian state in 1860, they took real territorial control of the island. After the WWII the Italian government conducted a program of economic development for Sicily. Wide estates were re-parceled into smaller units, and the coastal lands reclaimed and transformed into cultivable fields.
The Wines
Sicily has more vineyards than any of the other Italian regions competing with Apulia for first place as the largest wine producer. Yet, Sicilians consume less wine per capita than any other Italian. Many grapes are made into raisins and Sicilian grapes also play a large role in creating dessert wines, which require a higher concentration of grapes and are consumed in smaller quantities.
Though dessert wines account for about 90% of the total DOC production, several good reds and whites are produced by both large producers and the smaller estates.
If you happen to travel to the island around November 11, the day dedicated by the catholic church to Saint Martin, look for signs announcing the local Festa del Vino or "Festival of the Wine". It is believed that on this date the new wine is ready for consumption, hence the saying: Il giorno di San Martino il mosto diventa vino or "On Saint Martin's Day the grape juice becomes wine".
Information gathered from www.winecountry.it