Discover the history and culture of Sicilian wine with Bill Nesto and Frances Di Savino, authors of The World of Sicilian Wine, in the Keys Community Room of the Milton Public Library, on Sunday, January 12, 2014 at 2pm, when they share the story of Sicilian wine from its ancient roots to its modern evolution in both words and images. The authors will provide a substantive appreciation of a vibrant wine region that is one of Europe’s most historic areas and a place where many cultures intersect.

From the earliest Greek and Phoenician settlers who colonized Sicily in the eighth century B.C., the culture of wine has flourished in Sicily. A parade of foreign rulers was similarly drawn to Sicily’s fertile land, sun-filled climate, and strategic position in the Mediterranean. The modern Sicilian quality wine industry was reborn in the 1980s and 1990s with the arrival of wines made with established international varieties and state-of-the-art enology. Sicily is only now rediscovering the quality of its indigenous grape varieties, such as Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Frappato, Grillo, and distinctive terroirs such as the high elevation slopes of Mount Etna on Sicily’s east coast and the exotic island of Pantelleria off Sicily’s west coast.

Bill Nesto is one of only 32 Masters of Wine in the U.S. and is a founder of the Wine Studies Program at Boston University. Frances Di Savino is a practicing attorney who has a background in medieval and Renaissance studies and is Bill’s partner in life and on the wine road. Bill and Fran will autograph copies of their book, The World of Sicilian Wine, which will be available for sale. The World of Sicilian Wine has been nominated as a finalist for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2013.

This program is free to the public, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library. Light refreshments will be served (although sorry no wine). The Library is located at 476 Canton Avenue, Milton. For more information, contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian, at (617) 698-5757 or go to our website: www.miltonlibrary.org