Atmospheric Ragusa Ibla wine bar in a historic stone cellar, focused on Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG and the natural wine producers of the Ragusa area.
The list: Candlelit Ragusa Ibla wine bar with 180 Sicilian labels; strong on Cerasuolo di Vittoria and natural producers from the Ragusa-Vittoria area
Tip: The most intimate late-night spot in Ragusa Ibla's baroque piazza, with candles, arched stone ceilings and a list focused on the DOCG zone around Vittoria.
Address: Piazza della Repubblica 7, 97100 Ragusa, Italy, Sicily
Candlelit Trapani wine bar in the historic centro storico with Marsala DOC and Grillo as the centrepiece; a quieter counterpart to the livelier seafront bars.
The list: Low-lit Trapani enoteca with 200 Sicilian labels; 18 by the glass; Marsala DOC vertical and Grillo pours are the house anchors
Tip: The Marsala vertical tasting here covers five years of Superiore Riserva from two producers side by side: the best value fortified-wine education in western Sicily.
Atmospheric Noto wine bar in a historic vaulted cellar, focused on Val di Noto Nero d'Avola, Frappato and orange wine. Intimate candlelit atmosphere on the main corso.
The list: Intimate Noto wine cellar with stone-vaulted interior; 15 by-the-glass selections focused on Val di Noto Nero d'Avola and orange wine
Tip: The stone cellar setting makes this Noto's most atmospheric late-evening pour; ask for the orange Zibibbo by a small-producer if the season's allocation has arrived.
Contemporary Palermo wine lounge in the Liberta neighbourhood with a wide Italian and Sicilian list and regular producer evening events.
The list: Modern Palermo lounge-bar with a 300-plus Italian wine list; 25 by the glass; weekly producer evenings
Tip: Vinodromo holds weekly producer tastings with Sicilian winemakers; check their social media for the calendar. The lounge setting attracts a younger Palermo professional crowd than the older enoteche.
Contemporary Catania wine lounge in the San Berillo neighbourhood with a modern aesthetic and rotating weekly by-the-glass list focused on Etna and Sicilian producers.
The list: Modern Catania wine lounge with 250 Italian labels; 20 by the glass rotating weekly; Etna DOC and Sicilia DOC prominently featured
Tip: One of Catania's newer and more design-led wine spaces; the courtyard is the main attraction for warm evenings. Etna Rosso by the glass with a charcuterie board is the standard order.
Taormina hotel terrace lounge bar with panoramic Etna and Ionian coast views, offering Sicilian wine by the glass alongside classic cocktails.
The list: Hotel terrace lounge bar with cocktail-and-wine programme; 20 Sicilian and Italian selections by the glass; Etna DOC featured prominently
Tip: Terrace lounge with one of the best views in Taormina: the Ionian sea on one side, Etna on the other. The Etna Rosso pours are surprisingly good for a hotel bar.
The tasting bar at the historic Florio bagli on the Marsala seafront: the definitive venue for a structured Marsala by-the-glass experience, from the lightest Fine to 20-year Vergine Stravecchio.
The list: The in-house enoteca bar at the Florio bagli offers the full Marsala range by the glass: Fine, Superiore, Superiore Riserva, Vergine and Vergine Stravecchio
Tip: Ask the bar staff for a Vergine Stravecchio aged 15-plus years alongside the Fine to experience the full complexity arc of Marsala in a single sitting.