Alcamo ranks third in the production of wine among the communes of the province of Trapani. Altogether, the province’s vineyards cover a total of 83,750 hectares and they are the most extensive not only on the island but also in the whole of Italy. 
       The soils of the Alcamo zone are brown, virtually clayey, and generally fertile. But when terrains are not sufficiently fertile, which is not exceptional, the ingenuity of the local growers has enabled them to overcome their difficulties by applying corrective agricultural techniques that have been tested over the centuries and that now represent an essential chapter in the culture and history of the inhabitants of the Trapani district. 
       The terrain is worked mechanically dozens of times in a season with painstaking care. The soil around the rootstocks is then broken up by hand so that the vine’s roots will be able to “breathe.” The approach was conceived empirically before science provided its explanation and ratification. 
       Viticulture has been practiced in the Trapani area since ancient times and Alcamo was noted for the quality of its wines long before the 19th century, when they were in great demand in northern Italy for the preparation of vermouths because of their high alcohol levels (13°-17°). 
       The uninterrupted improvement of techniques of cultivation in the last 50 years has enabled producers to obtain wines with much lower alcohol levels. Those products are excellent accompaniments for meals and the Bianco Alcamo especially is highly suited to consumption with seafood dishes. It is an admirable example of what can be achieved through the combination of tradition and innovation, which is the hallmark of Sicilian winemaking. 
       The granting in 1972 of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata encouraged further improvements in the quality of the wine, which in turn has led to an increase in sales. And the wine is, today, one of the standard-bearers of Sicilian enological production.

Map of the production area

GO TO SOUTH REGIONAL WINES

CAMPANIA - APULIA  •  BASILICATA  •  CALABRIA  •  SICILY  •  SARDINIA 

OR MOVE TO THE OTHER MACRO-AREAS

SEARCH THE SITE