The majestic island of Sicily has always been a source of wine since Greek times. Over the centuries many populations have conquered it: Turks, Romans, Etruscan, French and English to name but a few. Those rulers have shaped the styles of wine that are produced today.

During its high times, Sicilian wines were some of the most celebrated in the world but a series of poor decisions turned the image of Sicilian wines into what was described as the “Wine Lake”.

In this episode, we will explore the early history of the island’s wines, the later influence of Englishmen and how the modern wine revolution come into place. The days of the production of wines sold in bulk to France and North Italy are long gone but are important to understand the dynamics of the wine production of Sicily today.
Bill Nesto MW tells the story of how in the 80s the exploration of skin contact wines begin, both in Sicily and Friuli Venezia Giulia which has then lead to the global revolution!

My guests today are, Frances Di Savino and Bill Nesto MW, authors of ‘The world Of Sicilian wines’. They believe Sicily is going through a renaissance as they describe it as ‘one of the most vibrant wine regions in Italy’. Sicily has learnt from its ancient history. In their book they offer a comprehensive view of the island’s heritage, regions and grapes varieties.

Bill Nesto Master of Wine, teaches at the Boston University: Metropolitan College (Programs in Food & Wine) and the School of Hospitality Administration and Fran is a corporate attorney who has a background in medieval and Renaissance studies and is Bill’s partner in life and on the wine road.

Bill and Frances, are the authors of the ‘The world of Sicilian Wines’(University of California Press, 2013) winner of that year André Simon Book Award and Chianti Classico: The Search for Tuscany’s Noblest Wine (University of California Press, 2016),

We can expect a interview with them on Chianti Classico in near future, and both books will soon be available in the Wine Bookshop on Mattiascarpazza.com.
A special thanks today to guests Frances Di Savino and Bill Nesto MW.

For more on Sicily I would suggest the following:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-sicily
http://winesofsicily.com/
www.marcodebartoli.com/en/
https://www.frankcornelissen.it/
https://settesoli.com/

These following are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage when you buy something, so thanks!

The World of Sicilian Wines https://amzn.to/2OBj5LP

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