“2010 will show the beauty, the extraordinary balance and the long ageing potential of the best wines from Sicily.”

Interview with Vito Catania

In this interview, Vito Catania, owner of Azienda Gulfi in Sicily, shares with us his great enthusiasm for the 2010 vintage. His estate is based in the south-eastern part of Sicily with vineyards close to the sea as well as vines planted on Etna at an altitude of 800 meters. Gulfi, with an organic approach, has always put a strong emphasis on terroirs and created four tremendous grand crus that regularly take top positions in Best italian wines’ rankings.

How would you consider 2010 for your grands crus?
“Over 2010, the climate in the eastern part of Sicily was especially favorable to a good maturation of grapes. Autumn and winter were marked by intense rains that provided the grounds with a good level of water. Summer season brought sun, no heavy rain and good but not too high temperatures. Nights were cool at this period. Early September, excluding the specific area of Noto, some rains pertubated grapes’ maturation and we understood at this time that maturity dates would be delayed. And then, from mid-September to harvesting period, a return to a very classic summer climate gave beautiful grapes, particularly rich in sugar and with a well balanced acidity.”

What about your vines on the Etna?
“On the eastern and northern part of Etna, we have had some rains during spring and summer. This stimulated the plants and helped them to produce a beautiful vegetation. Then a prolonged drought until the end of the summer led to some hydric stress and the lack of water started to cause some vines to shut down. But intermittent and sometimes abundant rains in September gave the opportunity to the vegetation to come back to a normal status. Then from the end of September, sun and good teperature allowed grapes to pursue their excellent maturing process. Maturity in 2010 was a bit ealier with approximately 10 days in anticipation.”

How was organized the harvest in the different locations of your estate vineyards?
“The first grapes harvested were obviously in the region of Pachino for our four grand crus. It began in Baroni district early at the end of August, with a more mature Nero d’Avola and then finished, on September 22nd, in Maccari district. The grapes in both Bufaleffi and San Lorenzo districts were harvested mid-September. At Monti Iblei, in the south-eastern part of Sicily, the chardonnay grapes (Chardonnay) were harvested in the last ten days of August. Nero d’ Avola was harvested from mid-September, then Carricante at the end of that month. Frappato, a late maturing grape, was harvested in the first week of
October. Finally, on the Etna, the grapes of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio cultivated in “Albarello” were harvested in the first week of October. The fruit was excellent, fully matured with good sugar level and a balanced acidity. 2010 shows a great polyphenolic potential.”

Overall, at such an early stage, what do you think about these wines?
“”I think 2010 will show the beauty, the extraordinary balance and the long ageing potential of the best wines from Sicily. We have in our cellar everything to make the most perfect wines. At such an early stage, we are impressed by the beautiful aromas and the structure of the wines. We find a lot of concentration, beautiful tannins and a lovely acidity as we like it here at Gulfi. Now they need to age quietly in our cellar at Chiaramonte Gulfi to show the best of themselves in a few years…””