Wine produced in hills once tainted by Mafia ownership will hold a place of honour at Italy's most prestigious wine festival this month. Vinitaly will showcase Centopassi, the first-ever series of wines made entirely from grapes grown on lands seized from Mafia bosses. ''The wine is a symbol of the rebirth of these lands,'' explained Gianluca Faraone, head of one of the cooperatives involved in the project. ''We hope this wine will increase in quality and quantity and come to be appreciated on both the national and international markets''. Vinitaly, which opens in Verona at the end of March, is a key date in the global wine calendar and an ideal opportunity to attract foreign interest. A limited-edition white vintage, Cataratto in Purezza, occupies pride of place in this year's Centopassi collection. Just 15,000 bottles have been produced, which organizers hope will be snapped up at Vinitaly.
Cataratto in Purezza is the third wine in the Centopassi series, which is named after a famous Italian film devoted to the life of anti-mafia crusader Peppino Impastato.
The name of another campaigner killed by the Mafia, Placido Rizzotto, was given to the collection's two other wines: a white made from Chardonnay and Cataratto grapes and a red from Nero d'Avola and Syrah. The vines are located on estates on the slopes of Monreale, not far from the Sicilian capital Palermo. Although the soil is ideal for growing grapes and Monreale has long produced quality wine, those involved in the project say it has been hard work.
''It is relatively easy to return a land to agricultural use but restoring a destroyed vineyard is an arduous task, both technically and economically,'' said agronomist Federico Curtaz.
The wine is the result of work by two different cooperatives, Placido Rizzotto and Libera Terra, which were allocated the estates by a public consortium called Development and Legality.
Development and Legality was set up seven years ago, after a law was passed allowing local authorities to turn seized Mafia property over to cooperatives for socially beneficial projects. In addition to wine, youth cooperatives have started making pasta, olive oil and honey on the lands, and thanks to an agreement with the Coop supermarket chain, the products are now being sold all over Italy.
Mafia villas are also being used for youth and drug rehabilitation schemes, while former wastelands have been converted into nature reserves. Meanwhile, the Placido Rizzotto cooperative is already looking ahead to next year's harvest. A new winery is currently being constructed with a million euros provided by European and regional funds. ''Everyone's dedication is allowing us to take great steps forward and the Verona festival is a really important showcase for us,'' concluded Faraone.
''But we mustn't let it go to our head, and we must always remember where we came from''.
