Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Savoury
Baglio di PianettoSicily€€€€€€€Still Red
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 · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Contemplative
CusumanoSicily€€€€€€€Still Red
Sagana is Cusumano's prestige single-vineyard Nero d'Avola from Riesi in central Sicily: opulent, concentrated and barrique-treated to produce a richly chocolate-dark wine of considerable structure.
Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold
Feudo MontoniSicily€€€€€€€€Still Red
Vrucara is from Feudo Montoni's oldest pre-phylloxera Nero d'Avola vines in the high plateau of central Sicily: austere, iron-mineral, demanding years in bottle to reveal its full complexity.
Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · Racy acidity · Festive · Elegant
Firriato Cavanera EtneaSicily€€€€€€€Sparkling Traditional
Gaudensius is Firriato's traditional-method sparkling wine from Nerello Mascalese on the Verzella contrada: fine persistent bubbles, red-cherry vibrancy and volcanic mineral character - a strong contender alongside Murgo's long-established Etna sparkling.
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative
FirriatoSicily€€€€€€€Still Red
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.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing
Girolamo RussoSicily€€€€€€€€Still Red
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
GraciSicily€€€€€€€Still Red
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 · Light-bodied · Low tannin · Racy acidity · Festive · Elegant
MurgoSicily€€€€€€€Sparkling Traditional
Sicily's most celebrated traditional-method sparkling wine: pure Nerello Mascalese fermented in bottle and aged 36-plus months on lees, producing fine bubbles, red-berry freshness and volcanic mineral character.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant
Arianna OcchipintiSicily€€€€€€€€Still Red
Occhipinti's top-tier DOCG from the Bombolieri single vineyard: equal parts Frappato and Nero d'Avola in their most complex and age-worthy expression, mineral-driven with remarkable persistence.
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Savoury
Tenuta GattiSicily€€€€€€Still Red
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 · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing
Tenuta delle Terre NereSicily€€€€€€€€Still Red
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.