Wine region
Sicily
Sicily unites volcanic wines from Etna, Nero d’Avola, Marsala and Grillo: about 100,000 hectares on Italy’s largest island.
- Vineyard area
- about 100,000 hectares, one of the largest vineyard areas in Italy
- Main grapes
- white: Catarratto, Grillo, Carricante, Inzolia, Zibibbo; red: Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Frappato
- Climate and soils
- Mediterranean, hot and dry summers; on Etna volcanic soils and altitudes from about 450 to over 1,000 metres
- Signature wines
- Etna Rosso and Etna Bianco, Nero d’Avola, Cerasuolo di Vittoria (DOCG), Marsala, Passito di Pantelleria
- Landmark
- Etna: over 3,300 metres, Europe’s highest active volcano, Etna DOC since 1968
Sicily is Italy’s largest island and, with about 100,000 hectares of vines, one of the country’s biggest wine regions. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and plenty of sun; altitude, wind and the sea temper the heat. Quality has risen markedly in recent decades, and many producers now put their faith in native varieties. Since 2011 there has been an island-wide DOC, Sicilia; in all, the island has more than twenty DOCs and, in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, a single DOCG.
In the east rises Etna, which stands above 3,300 metres and is Europe’s highest active volcano. Etna DOC dates from 1968 and is among the island’s oldest. The vines, often trained as old bush vines (alberello), grow on lava and ash from about 450 to over 1,000 metres, comparable to the highest vines of Valais at Visperterminen. Etna Rosso must contain at least 80 per cent Nerello Mascalese, with Nerello Cappuccio as the partner; it is pale, spicy and lively, and is often compared with Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo. Etna Bianco comes from Carricante, and Bianco Superiore must contain at least 80 per cent of it and come from the commune of Milo. More than 130 single sites, called contrade here, are distinguished.
Further south, around Avola and Noto near Syracuse, Nero d’Avola is at home, the island’s main red grape. Its name means “black of Avola”; Sicilians also call it Calabrese. It gives dark wines with plum, a hint of pepper and soft tannins, and tolerates heat and drought. Around Vittoria it is blended with Frappato to make Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG since 2005.
In the west, around Trapani, lies Marsala. The English merchant John Woodhouse made the fortified wine known from 1773; it has been a DOC since 1969. It is made from Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto and Damaschino, the red Rubino from varieties such as Perricone, Nero d’Avola or Nerello Mascalese; it runs from dry to sweet. The ageing grades run from Fine (at least one year) through Superiore (two), Superiore Riserva (four) and Vergine (five) to Stravecchio (ten years). Grillo, a cross of Catarratto and Zibibbo, is now also made into a powerful, fruity white without fortification. On Pantelleria, closer to Tunisia than to Sicily, Zibibbo, the Muscat of Alexandria, is grown as low bush vines; this method has been on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2014, and dried grapes make Passito di Pantelleria.
What to drink: Etna Rosso with pasta alla Norma, grilled meat and mushrooms; Nero d’Avola with lamb and aubergines; Etna Bianco and Grillo with fish, shellfish and Trapani-style couscous; dry Marsala with hard cheese, sweet with pastries; the Passito with dessert.