The first cut of the Canicattì PGI table grape campaign was officially made on 21 August 2024 in Palma di Montechiaro (AG), one of the 25 municipalities that make up the PGI area, 14 of which are in the province of Agrigento and 11 in the province of Caltanissetta.
Marsello Lo Sardo
After the opening, the morning was dedicated to the inauguration of the new Canicattì Grape Italia campaign, which was an opportunity for all the parties involved to meet.
According to Marsello Lo Sardo, president of the Sicilian Consortium, "the first harvests always take place in the Agrigento area, which is a little earlier than the other areas in the hinterland, while the campaign always ends in the Canicattì area, at an altitude of about 450 metres, where the season lasts until well into December." This year, however, that will not be the case, as the season will end in November at the latest.
This is due to the climatic conditions that have characterised and continue to characterise the production season. The prolonged heat of the last period, with temperatures constantly above 35°C, has led to a drop in production of 30% or more compared to the average, and at least 10% compared to last year. The prolonged drought in the whole of Sicily is one of the greatest challenges of the moment."
The Canicattì table grape season is focused exclusively on the Italia variety, which is rich in tradition and has organoleptic characteristics appreciated by many consumers.
"The quality of the production is excellent," continues Lo Sardo, "with a Brix of between 21 and 22 degrees. The excellent taste that we have been able to appreciate for a few days now gives us hope of a good marketing season, thanks to the consumption that we expect to be sustained by the quality of this year's grapes. Producer prices should also be quite high. The confirmation of our hypothesis comes directly from a number of large retail chains that have already started to look for our branded product, and this only strengthens our optimism."
New ministerial recognition for Canicattì PGI grapes
"The renewed interest in our product on the part of almost all European markets, which has never ceased," explains the president, "is due to the fact that recently, precisely on 27 July, our consortium received new recognition from Masaf. For a product with a high quality value that has always been appreciated by operators in the supply chain and consumers throughout Europe, this represents an important endorsement. I would like to publicly thank all the members of the Consortium's Board of Directors and the external professionals who continue to work with me in various ways on behalf of the Consortium for these and other achievements."
For more information: 
Marsello Lo Sardo
Consortium for the Protection and
Promotion of table grapes
of Canicattì P.G.I.
92024 Canicattì (AG) - Italy
Tel.: +39 338290 2558
Email: [email protected]