Dinner party in Sicily

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Funky

Ajello's Osa red blend of Nero d'Avola and Grillo is an unusual pairing of a red and white variety in a co-fermented red: warm, herbal and distinct from straightforward varietal Nero d'Avola.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Alta Mora's entry Etna Rosso from the Verzella contrada: one of the most accessible and well-priced Etna Rosso expressions from the north slope, showcasing the Cusumano winemaking clarity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Lu Patri is Baglio del Cristo's prestige Nero d'Avola from chalky limestone soils near Agrigento: opulent dark fruit, chocolate and mineral depth from one of the island's most acclaimed organic Nero d'Avola producers.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Ramione blends the dark fruit warmth of Nero d'Avola with the softening effect of Merlot at 900 metres above sea level: the result is a polished, smooth Sicilian blend with surprising freshness from altitude.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Savoury

Baglio di Pianetto's high-altitude Syrah shows how the variety performs at 900 metres: the elevation preserves aromatic freshness and pepper-spice that is often lost at lower-altitude Sicilian warmth.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Sicily's most celebrated DOCG in its defining expression: Nero d'Avola structure lifted by Frappato's sour-cherry acidity, earthy-mineral finish from Vittoria clay-limestone soils.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

COS's varietal Nero d'Avola reveals the grape at its richest: dark fruit, licorice and tobacco with supple biodynamic-farmed tannins and a persistent warm finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

Grecanico fermented on skins in amphora: a paradigmatic skin-contact white of honeyed stone-fruit richness, firm phenolic texture and saline-mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

Nero d'Avola fermented and aged in terracotta amphorae without oak: the clay vessel imparts earthy minerality and textural grip unique among Sicilian reds.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Funky

Calabretta's classic Etna Rosso: the blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio from century-old ungrafted vines, biodynamically farmed and made without additions, produces a wine of honest rustic charm and deep mineral character.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Contemplative

Vigne Vecchie (old vines) showcases the depth of Calabretta's ungrafted Nerello: light in colour but profound in mineral detail, with the incense-and-iron character of century-old Etna vines.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Low acidity · Rustic · Festive

Rallo's Marsala Superiore is the historic house's standard fortified expression: accessible, caramelised-fruit and gently oxidative from the 1860-founded Marsala cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

One of the few expressions of the rare Mamertino DOC: a Nero d'Avola and Nocera blend from the Milazzo hills near the Tyrrhenian, with the dense dark-fruit character of Nero d'Avola lifted by Nocera's bitter herb notes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Cantine Milazzo's Sicilia DOC Nero d'Avola from Tyrrhenian-influenced north-east Sicily: accessible, dark-fruited and an everyday ambassador for this native grape at a coastal terroir.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The Cottanera Etna Rosso is the estate's primary north-slope red: approachable and fruit-forward, with Nerello's cherry character and Etna's herbaceous mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Fatagione is one of Italy's most unusual cuvees: pure Mondeuse (Savoie's signature red grape) grown at altitude on Etna's volcanic soils, producing a peppery, full-bodied red of singular character.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

Cusumano's Nero d'Avola and Syrah blend from Sicilian estate vineyards: the pepper-spice of Syrah amplifies Nero d'Avola's dark fruit and the barrique treatment adds structure and warmth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Cusumano's premium Chardonnay, Jale, shows the full-sun ripeness of Sicilian Chardonnay through barrique treatment: rich, creamy and tropical with hazelnut-vanilla depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Donnafugata's entry-level Nero d'Avola offers the grape's warm, plum-cherry character with the smooth, approachable style the estate is known for at this price point.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Tancredi blends the warmth of Nero d'Avola with Cabernet Sauvignon's structural backbone, producing a Sicilian-Bordeaux hybrid with cedar-cedar depth and concentrated fruit aged gracefully in French barriques.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Vigna di Gabri is Donnafugata's premium Contessa Entellina white: a blend of native Sicilian whites with Chardonnay, showing greater textural complexity than Anthilia with a more persistent mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Bianca di Valguarnera is Sicily's most celebrated Inzolia: Duca di Salaparuta's partial barrique treatment of the native grape produces a rich, nutty, mineral white with the depth to age several years.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Feudi del Pisciotto's DOCG expression from the restored manor estate in the Val di Noto shows the Cerasuolo di Vittoria character cleanly: cherry, mineral and herbaceous with the appellation's characteristic clay-soil earthiness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Bold

The Versace-labelled Nero d'Avola from Feudi del Pisciotto is part of the estate's designer fashion-house label series; the wine is a full, smooth and polished Nero d'Avola of immediate approachability.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Bold

The more approachable Feudo Montoni Nero d'Avola; less austere than Vrucara, with a cherry-herb character and the estate's distinctive high-altitude mineral warmth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Firriato's Bordeaux-style blend from the Trapani hinterland: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown in Sicily's sun produce a richly ripe interpretation of the classic Bordeaux blend with a warm cedar-tobacco finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative

Ribeca is one of Sicily's most important varietal Perricone wines: this nearly extinct native grape produces a wine of austere iron-mineral character, tart red fruit and high acidity that is unlike any other Sicilian red.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Low acidity · Festive · Rustic

Florio's accessible everyday Marsala Superiore Semisecco: the classic Marsala for cooking and casual drinking, with soft caramelised-fruit character and gentle oxidative notes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Funky · Contemplative

MunJebel Bianco from Cornelissen shows the volcanic-herbal dimension of Etna whites when made without additions: textured, complex and with a distinctively wild herbal-mineral character from the blend of Carricante, Catarratto and ancient Minella.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Funky · Easygoing

MunJebel Rosso is the accessible entry into the Cornelissen range: zero-sulphur Nerello Mascalese from multiple contrade, vibrant and mineral, embodying the Etna natural-wine philosophy in an everyday format.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

San Lorenzo is the most immediately accessible of the Russo single-contrada range: fragrant, iron-streaked, with vibrant sour cherry and a saline volcanic freshness that makes it the most drinkable Russo Etna Rosso in its youth.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The entry Graci Etna Rosso offers immediate pleasure: Nerello Mascalese at its most approachable - fragrant, herb-scented, with the estate's characteristic saline mineral finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

Gulfi's entry-level single-contrada Nero d'Avola from the Ibleo plateau: concentrated dark fruit, carob and licorice with firm tannin and a warm volcanic-clay mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant

Mandrarossa's single-vineyard Fiano from the Terre di Giumara estate shows the variety's characteristic nutty-mineral quality from Menfi's calcareous-clay soils close to the Mediterranean coast.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Refreshing

Grappoli del Grillo is De Bartoli's dry still table wine from Grillo, made without oxidation: a fresh, mineral white that showcases the grape's natural salinity, citrus character and almond-bitter finish when vinified as a conventional still wine rather than a perpetuo.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Festive · Easygoing

De Bartoli's Marsala Superiore Riserva Oro is an approachable 5-year expression: lighter oxidative weight than the 10-year Riserva but with the estate's characteristic Grillo purity and a golden-almond character that bridges the aperitivo and dessert register.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Funky · Contemplative

Pietra Pumice (pumice stone) is De Bartoli's dry Zibibbo table wine from Pantelleria: made without additions on the volcanic pumice soils, it shows the wild mineral character of the island when Zibibbo is vinified dry and naturally.

Off Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Vigna La Miccia is De Bartoli's single-vineyard Marsala Superiore Oro: more approachable and lighter in oxidative weight than the Riserva, produced from a specific Grillo plot near Samperi with fresher fruit character.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Don Antonio is Morgante's single-vineyard selection: the richest, most concentrated Nero d'Avola from the estate with barrique aging producing a wine of chocolate-dark-fruit depth and silky structure.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Murgo's estate Etna Rosso from the eastern slope of Etna: approachable and herb-scented, with the saline freshness characteristic of the Santa Venerina area.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · Racy acidity · Refreshing · Funky

Named after the SP68 road through Vittoria, Occhipinti's signature blend is a Frappato-dominant light red of extraordinary mineral lift, wild-berry purity and racy acidity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Siccagno is the Sicilian dry-farming term for unirrigated cultivation; Occhipinti's varietal Nero d'Avola is richly dark-fruited with a characteristic iron-mineral finish from Vittoria's ferrous soils.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Mofete Rosso is Palmento Costanzo's estate red: organically farmed Nerello Mascalese from the Santo Spirito contrada producing a fragrant, mineral-driven Etna Rosso with appealing freshness.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Contrada C Chiappemacine is among the lightest and most elegant of the Passopisciaro contrada series: fragrant, iron-tinged, with firm but fine-grained tannins.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Chardonnay at 1,000 metres on Etna's volcanic soils: a rare and singular white - tropical richness undercut by volcanic salinity and a cool high-altitude acidity that gives exceptional freshness.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The entry-level Passopisciaro: blended from multiple north-slope plots, fragrant and approachable, offering a compelling introduction to the estate's Nerello Mascalese philosophy.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Pietradolce's entry Etna Rosso: approachable, herb-scented Nerello Mascalese with cherry brightness and Etna's characteristic saline mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Planeta's DOCG expression from the Dorilli contrada in Vittoria: classic cherry-sour-herb character of the appellation with the polish and consistency Planeta's winemaking team delivers across all estates.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Planeta's barrique-aged Chardonnay from Ulmo at Menfi became one of the wines that announced Sicily's quality transformation in the 1990s: rich, buttery, confident, with Sicilian sunshine layered through Burgundian oak treatment.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cometa is Sicily's signature Fiano: Planeta introduced Campanian Fiano to Menfi soils and produced a wine distinct from Southern Italian Fiano with a mineral-salt and almond-toasted character specific to the Mediterranean coast.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

Planeta's Noto DOC Nero d'Avola from the Buonivini contrada captures the south-east of Sicily at its most sun-soaked: rich carob and dark cherry with the warm mineral finish typical of the Noto appellation's limestone soils.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Planeta's Etna Nerello Mascalese from the Sciaranuova estate in Solicchiata: the Planeta house style - expressive and accessible - applied to the volcanic north slope.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Rapitala Grand Cru is the estate's flagship Chardonnay: a full barrique-fermented Sicilian Chardonnay from the Camporeale hillside estate combining tropical fruit richness with a toasty-creamy Burgundian framework.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Hugonis, named for the founding de la Gatinais family, blends Cabernet Sauvignon's structure with Nero d'Avola's Sicilian warmth in a wine that reflects the estate's Franco-Sicilian origins.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Funky · Contemplative

Serragghia's dry Zibibbo is among the most mineral and wild table wines produced in Sicily: zero-sulphur, biodynamic, from the volcanic pumice soils of Pantelleria, it captures the island's raw elemental character without sweetness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant · Bold

Tasca's Chardonnay from the high Regaleali plateau shows what Sicilian sun and altitude do to Chardonnay: richer and more tropical than Burgundy but retaining the Regaleali site's mineral backbone.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Created for the fiftieth anniversary of Lucio and Franca Tasca's wedding, Nozze d'Oro pairs Inzolia's stone-fruit softness with Sauvignon Blanc's aromatic herbal freshness in an enduring premium Sicilian white.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Regaleali Rosso has been Tasca's everyday red since 1968: a multi-varietal native blend of Nero d'Avola, Perricone and Nerello Mascalese showing the breadth of the Regaleali plateau's terroir.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Ghiaia Nera (black gravel) is the benchmark cuvee of Tasca's Etna estate, taking its name from the black volcanic gravel of the Rampante contrada: mineral-driven, fragrant Nerello Mascalese from the north slope.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Tenuta Gatti's Nero d'Avola from the Nebrodi slopes in the Messina province is unusually mineral and herbal compared to southern Sicilian examples: the altitude and Nebrodi scrubland influence give a cooler, more aromatic character to this northerly Nero d'Avola.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Tenuta Gatti's Pinot Nero, grown at altitude on the Nebrodi slopes in northern Sicily, is one of Italy's southernmost Pinot Nero bottlings: light, mineral and earthy with the Nebrodi altitude moderating what would otherwise be an impossible growing zone for the variety.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The estate Etna Rosso represents the breadth of Terre Nere's north-slope holdings: an approachable, everyday expression of Nerello Mascalese with cherry freshness and volcanic minerality.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

San Lorenzo's lower-altitude vines yield a more accessible Terre Nere red: fragrant, iron-streaked, with vibrant sour-cherry acidity and a mineral iron finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Fondo Filara is the premium Nicosia Etna Rosso from organically farmed Nerello Mascalese on the south-east slope: approachable and mineral, reflecting the Trecastagni terroir.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Tornatore's estate Etna Rosso from what the family claims is the largest single-vineyard in the Etna DOC: approachable Nerello Mascalese with typical volcanic mineral character and fresh herb notes.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Valle dell'Acate's classic DOCG blend from six generations of Jacono family organic farming: bright cherry and dried-herb aromatics with firm Vittoria-terroir acidity and mineral persistence.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

Valle dell'Acate's varietal Nero d'Avola shows the grape's fuller, warmer side: ripe dark fruit with vanilla-spice from French oak, round tannins and a warming Sicilian sun-drenched finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Rustic

The estate red blends Nero d'Avola's dark fruit with Syrah's peppery spice, delivering a richer, more internationally styled Sicilian red with smooth tannin and warmth.