IN BREVE
- More than one hundred journalists are participating in Sicilia en Primeur 2026, dedicated to Sicilian wine.
- The event offers tastings, meetings, and twelve wine tours across Sicily’s various wine territories.
- This year, twelve tour operators are involved to promote wine tourism in Sicily.
- The 2025 vintage report highlights an increase in grape quality.
- The event concludes on May 16 with a charity tasting in support of the Italian Red Cross.
More than one hundred journalists from all over the world are participating in Sicilia en Primeur 2026, the event organized by Assovini Sicilia dedicated to Sicilian wine, now in its 22nd edition. The event, inaugurated on May 11 at the Oratorio dei Bianchi in Palermo, revolves this year around the claim “Taste the Island. Live the Story,” chosen to describe an experience that combines wine, territory, culture, and history.
The program includes five days of tastings, meetings, visits to member wineries, and technical insights. At the heart of the program are the twelve wine tours accompanying the Italian and international press through different Sicilian wine territories, from Etna to Western Sicily.
A new feature of the 2026 edition is the presence of twelve tour operators, involved in the project for the first time. This choice confirms Assovini Sicilia’s commitment to strengthening the wine tourism sector through a dedicated strategy.
WINERIES AND PREVIEWS AT THE REAL ALBERGO DELLE POVERE
On May 12, the recently renovated Real Albergo delle Povere hosted the 56 wineries featured in the 2026 edition. The estates presented their new vintages and previews directly to the journalists in attendance.
The initiative also involved emerging players on the regional wine scene, aiming to represent the productive plurality of Sicilian wine. On May 13, in the same venue, a technical tasting assisted by sommeliers from the Italian Sommelier Association (AIS) took place, with over 400 labels available for tasting.
THE 2025 VINTAGE REPORT
During the technical tasting, the 2025 vintage report was presented, curated by enologists Lorenza Scianna, Maria Carella, and Serena Cancemi.
According to Serena Cancemi, in the central-southern area of Sicily between Agrigento and Caltanissetta, “2025 was the year of rediscovered quality, characterized by a trend reversal that saw a 20% increase in volumes and 100% grape health. The harvest was a perfect score: from the early varieties in August to the Nero d’Avola in October, every grape variety was able to complete its cycle without overlap, preserving vibrant acidity and sharp aromatic profiles.”
For Maria Carella, on Etna “the 2025 harvest accentuated the intrinsic differences between the slopes of Etna: while the North benefited from a slow and linear ripening, the South utilized its excellent water reserves to balance its natural solar exuberance. Grape quality was high thanks to excellent health conditions and an outstanding balance between sugars and acidity.”
Carella also highlighted how the Ragusa area recorded “a sunny but not hot vintage,” with wines showing “great aromatic expressiveness, fluidity, and territorial character.”
FRESH WHITES AND STRUCTURED REDS
The report reveals a positive outlook for Sicilian viticulture after two difficult years. According to Lorenza Scianna, the white wines “present a clear varietal imprint aromatically, enhanced by freshness and drinkability. There are no phenolic harshnesses that often appear in hot vintages.”
For coastal red varieties, particularly Nero d’Avola and Frappato, 2025 shows greater color intensity and a fresh, fleshy flavor fragrance. In high-hill areas, however, Catarratto and Perricone are noted as some of the most representative varieties of the vintage.
CHARITY TASTING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The event will conclude on May 16 at the Real Albergo delle Povere with a charity tasting open to the public from 5:30 PM to 11:30 PM. Proceeds will be donated to the Italian Red Cross, Palermo committee. In addition to wines from member estates, the program includes gastronomic workshops curated by Gastronomia Armetta.
