Santa Margherita di Belice

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The production area lies in south-western Sicily, in hilly terrain at approximately 400 metres above sea level, between the rivers Belìce, Senore, and Carboj.
• The soils are regosols derived from argillaceous rocks with a neutral-to-alkaline reaction, together with Mediterranean red soils, both of which contribute to the quality of the wines produced.
• The climate of the area is typically Mediterranean, with rainfall concentrated in the autumn and winter months and drought conditions prevailing for the remainder of the year.
• Temperatures remain consistently above freezing even in winter, with hot, dry periods lasting at least five months of the year, from May through September.
• The production zone encompasses the territory of the communes of Santa Margherita di Belice and Montevago, situated at the junction of the provinces of Palermo, Trapani, and Agrigento.

• Viticulture in this area is documented from the time of Greek colonisation in Sicily and continued through the Imperial Roman period.
• Following the phylloxera crisis of the early twentieth century, viticulture became firmly established in Santa Margherita di Belice and Montevago, communes neighbouring the Menfi area whose sandy soils provided natural resistance to the pest.
• New plantings and replantings must be trained in the alberello (bush-vine) or controspalliera (vertical trellis) system, at a density of 2,800 vines per hectare for controspalliera and 2,700 for alberello. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• All wines of the appellation display pleasant, harmonious, characteristic, and elegant aromas, with possible fruity, floral, and herbaceous notes typical of the grape varieties from which they are made.
• The wines display well-balanced chemical and physical parameters that contribute to their overall gustatory equilibrium.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0798
• Official trade body site — Assovini Sicilia