La viticoltura "eroica" in Sicilia. Qualità, turismo e sostenibilità ambientale

In Sicily, the vineyard area is near 103 thousand hectares, of which the 5% is located in the mountains, the 65% in the hills and the 30% in the plains. The total production of wine is near 6 millions liters, of which the 16% is AOC and the 44.2 is TGI (Regional wine). The region produces more white wines than red or pink ones; they are respectively the 53% and 47%. The AOCs are 23, the TGI 7 and only 1 is a GCAO, namely the Cerasuolo of Vittoria. In diverse wine areas, the production chain is highly capable of integrating viticulture and industrial processing, denoting typically the local system. The mountain winegrowing shows low levels of production and vine surfaces but has great importance for both the economic value of quality niche market and the conservation of local culture and environment preservation. The paper regards the mountain and small islands winegrowing in the three Sicilian zones where people manage an extreme viticulture. They are three extraordinarily beautiful territories that have a common volcanic origin, even showing a common rural culture and a similar productive model. They produce very high-quality wines, which are capable of valorizing the entire work bottled with the wine in a bottle produced within the Etna area, Pantelleria, and the Aeolian Islands.