Regional Institute of Wine and Oil

Vinitaly, the Sicilian model: organic drives the supply chain and anticipates the future.

The island's organic vineyards are leading the green transition, impacting CO2 and water savings, and eliminating the use of energy-intensive nitrogen.

There Sicily inaugurates the 2026 edition of the Vinitaly aiming at organic as a strategic lever for developmentAnd by placing at the center the experiences, visions, and paths of a virtuous supply chain: the largest in Italy, which upholds the values of sustainability and high quality, as well as ethics, with cooperatives that cultivate land confiscated from the Mafia, startups run by young people, and women-led businesses that preserve traditions while upholding family values.

“For many years our government – he explained Luca Sammartino, Councilor for Agriculture, Rural Development, and Mediterranean Fisheries for the Sicilian Region, is investing in organic farming. Sicily's biodiversity has allowed us to become the first Italian region with an organic territory, placing Sicily among the top European green players. For the first time, at Vinitaly 2026, the Sicilian Region has also chosen to unite organic wineries in a collective exhibition, to enhance their identity and showcase the supply chain's potential. We will continue our government efforts in this direction: in the coming months, we will encourage the consumption, production, and marketing of organic products in large-scale retail trade.

“Sicily, with 33 thousand hectares of organic vineyards, boasts a saving of 8 million CO2, over 2 thousand tons of nitric nitrogen with a high energy impact and 7 million cubic meters of water – he underlined Calogero Alaimo "If we converted all Italian viticulture to organic, that is, 600,000 hectares of vineyards, we would save 160 million tons of CO2, 36 million tons of nitrate nitrogen, and 120 million cubic meters of water. Sicily, with its organic vineyards, is the true ecological lung of Italy, along with Tuscany and Puglia."

“Italy is the largest wine producing country in Europe – he stated Giusi Mistretta, IRVO Special Commissioner – and Sicily holds the highest organic record in the country. At Vinitaly 2026 we will host 164 wineries, 28 of which are organic; they are small and medium-sized businesses with excellent products. In Pavilion 2 there is a united Sicily, with an area dedicated to cultural heritage, another to signature street food; you can sense the ambition of a region with a wine tourism heritage.” A challenge born years ago “which today has transformed from a niche into a system,” continued the IRVO director. Vito Bentivegna.

“Sicily has made a change of pace in recent years, positioning itself among the most active regions in the agricultural sector – underlined the head of the MASAF department Marco Lupo – both for access to the PNRR measures and for planning. A vibrant region rich in excellence, which showcases all its richness and vibrancy through its wine industry.”

Tomorrow, work will continue with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Pavilion 2 at 10:00 a.m.; at 12:30 p.m., there will be a conference entitled "Journey to Sicily: The New Frontiers of Wine Tourism." At 2:00 p.m., the focus will be on "IGP Nebrodi, a Sicilian Exception to Promote." At 3:00 p.m., there will be a focus session entitled "Communicating Wine Today: New Languages and New Perceptions of Value." At 4:00 p.m., there will be a conference entitled "IRVO Nature and Technology: Data and Experimentation in the Sicilian Sector. IRVO's Commitment to Control, Quality, and the Future." At 5:30 p.m., the Sicilian Region's Department of Cultural Heritage will inaugurate its exhibition, "Millennia of History and Wine. Routes of Memory in the Mediterranean."