The local cheeses of Sicily with the local wines that suit them, and why they work.
The cheeses of Sicily with the wines made beside them. Pairings marked as a local tradition are the ones a regional source names; the rest are our own picks, and say so.
The Ragusano consortium's page on use suggests Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG among the reds that pair well with the cheese. The wine's red cherry and high acidity suit a table-aged wheel, and both come from south-eastern Sicily.
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Qualigeo's sheet for Vastedda suggests a good Sicilian white, perhaps a Grillo or Chardonnay, besides olive oil and oregano. Grillo's citrus, herbal lift and high acidity freshen the mild, slightly tangy fresh sheep curd.
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The consortium's page on use suggests Etna Bianco as its example of a Sicilian white for Ragusano. Its citrus and saline minerality lift the sweet young cheese and answer the almond note the consortium finds in long-aged wheels.
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Nero d'Avola is among the reds the consortium's page on use suggests for Ragusano. Its dark fruit, warmth and medium tannin give an aged, savoury wheel some weight and soften its piquancy.
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A long-aged, medium-sweet Marsala Riserva, with nutty, dried fig and orange notes, balances the salt and heat of an aged ewe's milk pecorino, and its nutty depth echoes the cheese's slow ripening.
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Maiorchino is delicate for a pecorino when young and turns piquant, ageing from about 8 months to as long as 24. Etna Rosso crus bring firm tannin, high acidity and dark cherry depth, the structure for an old, sharp wheel.
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Fresh provola is sweet and slightly acidic with a soft ivory paste. Carricante from Milo is dry with racy acidity and a saline, chalky finish, which lifts that milk sweetness and keeps a peppery aged wheel in check.
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The consortium says the piquancy of aged Pecorino Siciliano grows over 4 to 8 months. A Nero d'Avola with dark fruit and medium tannin stands up to the salt and spice; Qualigeo suggests bread and olives to tame the sharpness.
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Black pepper and saffron run through Piacentinu's yellow paste. Etna Rosso from Nerello Mascalese is fresh and mineral, with red cherry fruit, fine tannin and high acidity, so it meets the spice without being flattened by it.
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A caciocavallo aged towards six months is piquant, with a compact paste that flakes. Nero d'Avola-led reds bring dark fruit, tannin and acidity to carry that sharpness, and the weight to meet a wheel kept long enough to grate.
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Baked ricotta is salted and finished with a thin browned skin. The apricot and honey of a sun-dried passito from Pantelleria or the Aeolian islands set sweet against salty, the way a dessert wine meets a blue cheese.
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Catarratto, a white of western Sicily, is light to medium in body, fresh and citrus-scented, so it keeps pace with fresh sheep curd without covering its mild butter flavour.
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Qualigeo says tradition cooks the provola all'argentiera, with garlic, anchovies and a little vinegar. That salty, sharp richness wants a light red with fresh acidity, and Frappato's red berries, low tannin and high acidity fit.
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Aged Pecorino Siciliano is salty, with heat that builds over 4 to 8 months. Full-bodied Sicilian reds, from native blends to Syrah, Cabernet and Petit Verdot, bring the concentration and tannin to stand up to it.
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Dry Marsala Vergine is full-bodied and oxidative, with walnut, hazelnut and dried fig and no sweetness. It sets that nuttiness against the piquant, flaky paste of an older caciocavallo, a savoury rather than sweet pairing.
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Long-aged Ragusano shows a hint of almond. Menfi Fiano is nutty and mineral, with toasted almond notes and high acidity, so it echoes that almond and cuts through the savoury paste.
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Piacentinu runs from mildly to more intensely peppery, with light saffron notes. An off-dry Marsala Superiore, with dried apricot, caramel and a gentle oxidative edge, softens the pepper and echoes the saffron.
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Mamertino is a red of the Milazzo hills in Messina province, the province whose Peloritani mountains make Maiorchino. Its dark cherry fruit and herbal bitterness suit an aged, piquant sheep cheese.
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A young Ragusano is sweet and delicate with a vanilla note. Full-bodied Sicilian Chardonnay fermented or aged in oak is creamy, with ripe stone fruit and vanilla, a rich match for a table wheel of three or four months.
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Pecorino Siciliano is sweet with strong pasture notes when young, spicier with age. A dry Pantelleria Zibibbo, saline and citrusy with wild herbs and high acidity, cuts the fat and meets those pasture notes.
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Slow Food credits the Cinisara cows' pasture with citrus, sage and hay notes in the milk. A fresh Sicilian white blend, citrus and stone fruit with high acidity, matches those notes and cleans the palate.
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Aged provola turns increasingly peppery. A lightly dried or late-picked Moscato or Malvasia, sweet and medium-bodied with apricot and orange blossom, sets sweetness against that pepper, and its acidity keeps it from turning heavy.
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Fresh Vastedda is a little tangy but not piquant, with butter first. A light Nerello Mascalese rosato with high acidity, wild red fruit and a saline edge keeps pace with the tang and leaves the butter alone.
Bottles to try:
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The consortium's specification gives a square section of 15 to 18 cm a side, a length of 43 to 53 cm and 12 to 16 kg, so the 14 kg recorded is the midpoint. Its general page quotes about 16 kg a wheel.
The consortium's page on use says it pairs well with Etna Bianco among Sicilian whites, and among reds with Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Syrah, Merlot or Frappato.
Qualigeo gives the whole province of Ragusa and the communes of Noto, Palazzolo Acreide and Rosolini in the province of Syracuse.
The consortium says it is eaten as it is up to about four months and grated once aged over a year. A popular dish is Ragusano all'argentiera, sliced and browned in a pan with garlic, oil and white vinegar.
Qualigeo lists Fresco (20 to 30 days), Semistagionato (60 to 90 days) and Stagionato (at least 120 days), with a spiced Pepato version.
Qualigeo gives fresh and semi-aged wheels 10 to 20 cm in diameter and height and 3 to 5 kg; the aged type is 15 to 30 cm across, 15 to 25 cm high and 6 to 14 kg. The consortium's own page gives a smaller range, 10 to 18 cm high and 4 to 12 kg, so published sizes vary.
The consortium describes a yellowish-white, very rough rind printed by the rush baskets, over a compact white or straw paste with few eyes.
Bread and olives, which tend to tame the sharp taste of the aged type, which is also widely grated over pasta.
