Colangelo partners with Wines of Sicily on US marketing push

Drinks communications agency Colangelo & Partners is collaborating with Wines of Sicily on a US marketing push this summer to raise awareness of the island’s wines.

The Consorzio di Tutela Vini Sicilia DOC will be working with Colangelo & Partners on a series of trade and consumer tastings and events in the US to shine a light on the island’s diverse array of wines and native grape varieties.

Colangelo & Partners will implement the integrated communications programme, and will seek to target a millennial audience of food and wine lovers, working with influencers to drive awareness of Sicilian wine in the US.

Colangelo & Partners will handle the DO’s trade media relations, press trips, and virtual events for the wine trade, while Current Global will lead the consumer PR.

“We’re excited to represent the great wines to Sicily in the US wine trade and are honoured to be part of this campaign,” said Gino Colangelo, president of Colangelo & Partners.

“We look forward to building a platform with the wine trade that will contribute to the growth of Sicilian wine consumption in the US and Canada.

The campaign will communicate the high quality and typicity of Sicilian wines, while flagging up their green credentials.

“We started to invest in the US in 2015, and since then we’ve continued to grow the investment. The US is a critical export market for Sicilian wines with great potential,” said Antonio Rallo, president of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Sicilia DOC.

“Our producers are lowering their yields per acre and focusing increasingly on the unique characteristics of each of our wine growing sub-regions.

“We’re producing very high quality wines with great expressions of freshness, structure, elegance and aromas. So now it’s time to accelerate the promotion of these great wines to American wine lovers.

“We’re confident that Colangelo & Partners will be a great team, each focusing on their respective specializations in order to help Sicilia DOC achieve our goals,” Rallo added.

The US is the largest importer of Italian wines in the world and continues to grow despite the pandemic.

The largest island in the Mediterranean, having built a reputation for its sweet wine, Marsala, Sicily is now attracting interest for its dry wines made from native varieties, from Grillo and Catarratto to Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese.

The island is also a leader in sustainable and organic viticulture, boasting the largest organic wine-growing area in Italy, accounting for 34% of the country’s organic plantings.

An in-depth look at the latest developments in Sicilian wine appear in the May issue of the drinks business.