Intimate Palermo enoteca with candlelit setting, a deep Sicilian cellar and personal service. Hosts occasional producer evenings and vintage vertical tastings.
The list: Candlelit Palermo enoteca with 300-plus labels and intimate seating; specialises in Sicilian artisan producers and aged vintages
Tip: One of Palermo's most atmospheric wine spaces. The owner knows every producer personally; ask for a vertical of an aged Nero d'Avola from Gulfi to experience the grape's development arc.
Address: Via Alberto Mario 29, 90139 Palermo, Italy, Sicily
Taormina wine bar on the famous Piazza del Duomo, with a terrace view of the Baroque cathedral and Mount Etna. Focused Etna DOC selection by the glass.
The list: Taormina's most refined wine bar, with Etna DOC and Sicilian premium selection; 25 by the glass; terrace with Etna view
Tip: The outdoor terrace at the Piazza del Duomo is Taormina's most atmospheric wine-tasting spot; the view of the illuminated Baroque cathedral with Etna behind it is unmatched on the island.
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.
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.