Assovini Sicilia Hosts Masters of Wine in Sicily

Assovini Sicilia welcomed 27 Masters of Wine to Sicily this week for a nine-day program that brought some of the island’s best-known native grape varieties and wine regions before one of the wine trade’s most influential groups.

The visit, which ended on May 27 with a masterclass and walkaround tasting at UnaHotels Naxos Beach in Giardini Naxos, included more than 50 wines from member producers. The evening continued with an exclusive dinner at Mazzarò Sea Palace in Taormina. Organizers said the itinerary was designed to show the range of Sicilian wine through tastings, meetings and visits across the island, with all of Sicily’s wine consortia taking part.

The masterclass, led by enologist Patricia Toth, was titled “From A(ssovin)i to I: the profusion of possibilities in the Sicilian viticulture.” It focused on native grapes including Catarratto, Malvasia delle Lipari, Grillo, Frappato, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera and Nero d’Avola. The wines were selected to show different production styles and terroirs, with an emphasis on how those grapes are being used today by producers across the island.

Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia, said the visit offered an important chance to present Sicilian wine to an international audience. “Welcoming the Masters of Wine to Sicily is an important opportunity for international exchange and a strategic moment to communicate the value of our viticulture,” she said. Cambria said the association wanted to show “the extraordinary diversity of wine-growing Sicily,” adding that native varieties, local territories and producer vision allow the region to express “identity, elegance and innovation.”

Pietro Russo, a Sicilian Master of Wine who helped support the initiative, said the trip reflected growing interest in the island’s wines and their quality. He said the project took nearly two years to organize and was built around nine days of meetings and tastings intended to give guests an accurate view of Sicily’s complexity and diversity. Russo said he believed the visitors would leave with an image of Sicilian wine shaped by “strong identities, consolidated quality and growing ambition.”

Assovini Sicilia said the program was part of its broader effort to promote the island’s wine culture abroad. The association has spent more than 20 years bringing together leading producers from across Sicily with the goal of raising awareness of the region’s wines in foreign markets. The presence of Masters of Wine, it said, can help strengthen the standing of Sicilian denominations and native grapes at a time when international interest in Mediterranean wine regions remains high.