Sicily Focus

Sicily has a history of sending bulk wine for blending to France, and this lack of focus meant vines were not trimmed down or well-looked after to ensure higher quality grapes. Instead, grapes were seen as a currency - the more quantity, the more revenue. Quality was not really on people’s minds...

That's why at first, locals thought new producers like Frank Cornelissen (a Belgian) were crazy, cutting up to a third of the amount of grapes from the vines in order to force more concentration into the remaining bunch. But when local producers saw the higher prices new Etna winemakers’ bottles were commanding, showing the grapes made properly over the past 20 years, the whole attitude shifted.