“Bonu vinu fa bonu sangu”
…Good wine makes good blood
– Sicilian Proverb
Sicily, the second largest wine region in Italy, has a 4000 year old relationship with viticulture. According to archeological evidence, Sicilian wine production dates back to the 6th century B.C. and was introduced by Mycenean sailors and settlers.
Throughout the centuries, under the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Bourbons and other inhabiters of the island and its archipelago, wine-making underwent vast transformations. At times it flourished, at times it was confined to small territories.
It wasn’t until 1880, when a terrible epidemic of phylloxera ruined a majority of the island’s vines and caused a major turn in the Sicilian winemaking industry. The disaster gave rise to a new viticulture tradition in Sicily in which improved growing techniques replaced the old, making it possible to produce grapes which are rich in body and color.
Over the past 15 to 20 years, Sicilian wines have undergone a rebirth and boast 23 DOCs and a DOCG (Cerasuolo di Vittoria).
Our goal at Eolo is to offer a comprehensive selection of Sicilian wines. While our list is predominantly Sicilian, we do, however, offer a small selection of some of our favorite wines from other coastal areas of the Mediterranean basin.
Click to view our wine list
A Review of Eolo in the Autumn 2011 “Quarterly Wine Review”
Thanks Mr. Romano,
The first four of these wines we already carry, but not the later two. Do you know who distributes them in New York?
Melissa
I understand that you are in the process of expanding your wine list. Some suggestions that are much indicative of the island’s varied terroir. Tasca d’Almerita, COS, Morgante, Tenuta La Lumia, Valle d’Acate, Tenuta della Terre et al.