The largest Mediterranean island and a leading force in the Italian wine renaissance. Wines produced on the slopes of Mount Etna possess distinctive minerality from volcanic soils. From powerful reds made with Nero d'Avola to elegant whites from Carricante to the historic Marsala, the region offers diverse wines.
Winemaking brought by Greeks in the 8th century BC developed uniquely through Roman, Arab, and Norman rule. In the 19th century, Marsala gained worldwide fame. The 21st century has seen a quality revolution centered on Etna.
Etna is the focus of Sicilian wine. Reds made from Nerello Mascalese possess an elegance rivaling Burgundy. Comparing flavor differences by altitude is fascinating. Marsala is also being reevaluated not just for cooking but as a digestif.
Sicily's flagship black grape. Grown under the island's fierce sun, it combines dense ripe black fruit with surprisingly gentle tannins. Once destined for bulk wine, lower-yield viticulture has spread and it is now increasingly bottled as a high-quality varietal wine.
An unusually delicate Sicilian grape grown on the slopes of Mount Etna. Pale in colour, it layers red fruit over the saline, smoky signature of volcanic soil. Its high acidity and fine-grained tannins invite frequent comparison with Burgundian Pinot Noir and Barolo.
The white grape at the heart of Etna Bianco. Grown high on volcanic slopes, it shows an incisive acidity unexpected in Sicily, alongside a flinty mineral character. Austere when young, after a few years honey and nut aromas emerge and it becomes remarkably complex.
Western Sicily's signature white. Citrus and herbal aromas are layered with a sea-breeze salinity. Its resistance to oxidation and readiness to accumulate sugar long made it a Marsala grape, but today it is more often picked early and made into fresh dry whites.