ARCA – the Regional Association for Authentic Catarratto – made its official debut at Vinitaly 2025, opening the events of the Sicily Pavilion with a presentation that marked a fresh beginning for the island’s viticulture. Six family-owned wineries – Bagliesi, Caruso & Minini, Castellucci Miano, Di Bella, Feudo Disisa, and Tenute Lombardo – have joined forces to reassert Catarratto as a wine of identity, rooted in the Mediterranean and reimagined for the contemporary world. A once-overlooked grape variety now steps into the spotlight thanks to a dynamic alliance grounded in vision, rigor, and collective spirit.
ARCA’s journey began in Verona but did not end there. In Palermo, the Regional Nursery “Federico Paulsen” hosted a public presentation that brought together institutions, wine professionals, and the press in a highly symbolic moment of dialogue and shared purpose. A masterclass led by Master of Wine Pietro Russo highlighted Catarratto’s extraordinary versatility—from still whites to reserves, from orange wines to sparkling expressions. Each wine reflected a specific territory, soil type, and agricultural identity.
ARCA’s stylistic coherence and expressive strength also caught the attention of leading voices such as Danielle Callegari, contributing editor at Wine Enthusiast and professor of Italian culture in the United States, who tasted the wines for the American market and praised their Mediterranean elegance and distinctive enological identity.
Following the events in Verona and Palermo, Catania hosted the next milestone in ARCA’s narrative. At the vibrant Piazza Scammacca Market, a symbol of Sicily’s new urban and gastronomic awareness, ARCA sent a clear message: Catarratto is not a wine of volume, but of quality, ready to speak to sophisticated international markets and conscious consumers.
The press conference featured contributions from President Sebastiano Di Bella, oenologist Tonino Guzzo, journalist Veronika Crecelius, and wine manager Gabriele Vitale, along with an audience of professionals, restaurateurs, and wine lovers. The event continued with a “sensory journey” masterclass exploring the six distinct interpretations of Catarratto crafted by the founding wineries, showcasing both the grape’s expressive range and the project’s unified values.
ARCA is a living, evolving laboratory: it cultivates dynamic relationships with markets, institutions, and territories while remaining firmly rooted in the principles expressed in the Association’s Decalogue—a value-based manifesto outlining commitments to biodiversity, sustainability, proximity, and transparency in wine. Through this vision, Catarratto is redefined not as a generic product, but as a common good, a cultural language, and a storytelling tool for a refined, living, and competitive Sicily.
Backed by PSR Sicilia – Submeasure 3.2, the project proves that collaboration across wineries, territories, and generations is not only possible but essential. The age of marginalization is over. ARCA looks ahead—fusing artisanal winemaking with strategic thinking, slow production with agile communication-to place Catarratto at the heart of the world’s emerging wine geographies.
