Veronika Crecelius is one of the most respected voices in international wine journalism. For decades, she has introduced Italian wines to German and international audiences, always with a particular eye for Sicily and its ongoing transformation. Curious, knowledgeable, and independent, she has crossed territories and cellars with the depth and patience of someone who truly sees wine as culture and connection. We met her after a focused tasting of the wines from ARCA \u2013 Regional Association for Authentic Catarratto. The impression was strong, clear, and sincere-not a promotional gesture, but a meaningful endorsement.<\/p>\n\n
Interview by Gran Via<\/em><\/p>\n\n Ms. Crecelius, after tasting several Catarratto wines from ARCA, what are your main impressions?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n What struck me most was the stylistic consistency within a range of interpretations. I tasted fresh, vertical, almost razor-sharp wines, and others that were more complex, involving skin contact or barrel aging\u2014but all shared a recognizable, clear identity. When Catarratto is well cultivated and vinified with care, it delivers a very precise flavor signature: citrus notes, saline tension, and an initial reserve that opens up with depth over time. ARCA\u2019s wines aren\u2019t made to impress at first sip-they\u2019re made to speak over time. And to me, that is an immense value.<\/p>\n\n What makes Catarratto a distinctive white in the European landscape?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Its natural balance between structure and freshness. It ripens well even in warm climates, while maintaining excellent acidity. But most importantly, it has a remarkable ability to absorb and express its terroir\u2014soil, exposure, elevation. In that way, it reminds me of great grapes like Riesling or Chenin Blanc. Every parcel can give a different result, and every producer can tell their own story. This is what makes Catarratto a contemporary grape\u2014because today\u2019s consumer is looking for authenticity and diversity, not standardization.<\/p>\n\n You\u2019ve long documented Sicily\u2019s evolution in the wine world. How does ARCA fit into this journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Sicily has undergone an extraordinary transformation: from a land of anonymous wines to a region rich in identity-driven projects. But much work remains to be done in terms of consistency. ARCA is an important step in this direction\u2014it\u2019s not about a single label or marketing operation, but a shared cultural vision. What impressed me most was the care each winery devotes to its vineyard, the awareness behind agronomic choices, and the respect for natural timing. This is the language of seriousness\u2014not aggressive marketing, which can often do more harm than good.<\/p>\n\n How can Catarratto succeed in the German market, which is increasingly focused on wine values?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The German public has become very demanding. They want honest wines, deeply tied to their land, with a clear story. Catarratto, if communicated properly, can resonate with that mindset. It\u2019s versatile, adaptable to multiple styles (still, sparkling, skin-contact), but it must always remain true to itself. The storytelling must be sincere\u2014not just about techniques, but about people. The fact that ARCA wines are made by families, in hillside vineyards, with strong agricultural roots\u2014that\u2019s a huge advantage. But it\u2019s also essential to be present, to engage, to build relationships. And I see that ARCA is doing this intelligently. There\u2019s a segment of Italian and German gastronomy that wants wines that express their land clearly in the glass.<\/p>\n\n If you had to describe Catarratto in one word after this experience, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Eclectic\u2014in the best sense. Catarratto isn\u2019t chameleonic because it changes to please; it\u2019s adaptable because it knows how to express the place it comes from. In that sense, it\u2019s like certain actors who can play many roles without ever losing their voice. It\u2019s a grape that still has much to say. And if it continues to be cultivated and vinified with this kind of respect, it will finally take its rightful place among Europe\u2019s great white wines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Veronika Crecelius, a leading voice in European wine journalism, recognizes in ARCA\u2019s wines a clear and coherent identity\u2014capable of expressing territory, elegance, and authenticity. When properly cultivated and vinified with respect, Catarratto becomes one of the great Mediterranean whites. Far from trends, close to the land, it is a wine that tells true stories. And that, today, makes all the difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1611,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions\/1611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arcasicilia.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}