Benanti Pietramarina
Producer: benanti
A single-vineyard Etna Bianco Superiore from Milo: pure Carricante from the Milo Superiore zone, first released from the 1990 vintage.
Price: EUR 35-55 at retail
Italy's island wine frontier: ancient Zibibbo on Pantelleria, century-old Nerello on Etna's volcanic terraces, Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG from the sun-drenched south-east, and the legendary Marsala cellars of the west.
Drink your way through Sicily
Map of Sicily
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Sicily, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Signature wines of Sicily
The iconic bottles that define Sicily.
Pietradolce Vigna Barbagalli
Producer: pietradolce
Pietradolce's prestige single-vineyard Etna Rosso from ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines at 850m, released from the 2012 vintage with notable bottle ageing potential.
Price: EUR 80-130 at retail
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Calderara Sottana
Producer: tenuta-delle-terre-nere
A single-contrada Etna Rosso from old-vine Nerello Mascalese in Calderara Sottana on the north slope, Burgundian in structure and volcanic in soul, first produced in 2003.
Price: EUR 45-70 at retail
Graci Arcuria
Producer: graci
Graci's flagship single-contrada Etna Rosso from Arcuria on the north slope: precise, mineral and terroir-driven, establishing Graci as one of the Etna DOC's leading estates.
Price: EUR 40-65 at retail
COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG
Producer: cos
Sicily's only DOCG (Cerasuolo di Vittoria, granted 2005) in the COS bottling: biodynamically farmed Nero d'Avola and Frappato from Vittoria, produced by the estate since its 1980 founding.
Price: EUR 22-32 at retail
Occhipinti Il Frappato
Producer: arianna-occhipinti
Arianna Occhipinti's varietal Frappato, produced from organically farmed vines in Vittoria since the 2004 vintage: mineral, delicate, with bright raspberry and rose-hip aromatics.
Price: EUR 24-34 at retail
Vineyards to know in Sicily
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Sicily.
Abele Ajello
Abele Ajello is a small organic producer in the Belice Valley near Castelvetrano, working with Catarratto and Nero d'Avola in the western Sicilian interior.
Signature: ajello-osa, ajello-tajuni-catarratto
Cantine Milazzo
Cantine Milazzo is one of the few producers working seriously within the rare Mamertino DOC, an appellation near Milazzo in the Messina province with roots in ancient Roman viniculture.
Signature: milazzo-mamertino-rosso, milazzo-nero-davola
Planeta
Founded in 1995 by cousins Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta, Planeta operates six wineries across the island from Menfi to Etna, Noto and Milazzo, with native and international varieties grown across distinct Sicilian terroirs.
Signature: planeta-santa-cecilia, planeta-burdese, planeta-cometa
Serragghia (Pantelleria)
Gabrio Bini's Serragghia on Pantelleria farms Zibibbo in the alberello pantesco system without sulphur. The Serragghia passito and natural Zibibbo whites are produced in small allocations and distributed largely through specialist natural-wine importers.
Signature: serragghia-passito-di-pantelleria
Tasca d'Almerita
Tasca d'Almerita has farmed the Regaleali plateau since 1830. Their Rosso del Conte, a Nero d'Avola-led flagship first bottled in 1970, has been produced continuously for over five decades and ages multiple decades in good vintages.
Signature: tasca-dalmerita-rosso-del-conte, tasca-dalmerita-chardonnay, tasca-dalmerita-leone-dalmerita
Donnafugata
Donnafugata, founded by the Rallo family in Marsala, has grown into a multi-estate Sicilian producer with vineyards in Contessa Entellina, Pantelleria and Etna, crafting wines from native varieties including the iconic Ben Rye passito.
Signature: donnafugata-ben-rye, donnafugata-mille-e-una-notte, donnafugata-tancredi
Sub-appellations of Sicily
Etna Nord (North Slope)
Terraced volcanic lava stone walls, ancient pre-phylloxera alberello vines, contrade names like a Burgundy premier cru, and the brooding presence of an active volcano on every label.
Etna Est - Milo (East Slope)
Ancient Carricante vines facing the Ionian, alpine freshness meeting volcanic mineral force, the white counterpart to Etna Nord's red reputation.
Vittoria (Cerasuolo DOCG)
The flat sun-baked calcareous plain of the Ragusa plateau; a natural wine heartland producing food-friendly Nero d'Avola and Frappato.
Marsala
Salt pans, shallow Stagnone lagoon, bleached tuff-stone cellars, and the bittersweet complexity of an ancient fortified wine tradition being rediscovered.
Pantelleria
African heat, dammuso stone farmhouses, terraced black lava, and the intoxicating aroma of sun-dried Zibibbo on a windswept volcanic island.
Noto (Nero d'Avola heartland)
Baroque golden limestone towns, Ionian sea light, and concentrated sun-drenched Nero d'Avola vineyards on the calcareous Pachino plateau.
Sicily wine, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Sicily for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Sicily is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Sicily estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Sicily cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Sicily tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Sicily?
If you only open one bottle, open Benanti Pietramarina by benanti. It is the wine most associated with Sicily.