Discover Sicily

Pack a light bag. We're going island-hopping, without the airport.

Picture yourself stepping off the ferry into hot, salty air. Somewhere behind the hills, a volcano is quietly puffing ash into the sky. Lemon trees spill over stone walls, and someone nearby is frying arancini. To really understand a glass of Sicilian wine, you have to understand the island it comes from: who lived here, what they ate, what the weather does, and the mountain that rules over it all. So let's take the long way round, and pour as we go.

Full confession: we spent way too much time researching this one. But we fell head over heels for the process, and we think you'll fall for these wines too.

Chapter 1 · Where in the world

The crossroads of the Mediterranean

Sicily floats just off the toe of Italy's boot, right in the middle of the Mediterranean. It's the biggest island in the sea, about 280 km from east to west, and it has more vineyards than any other region in Italy. Its little island of Pantelleria sits closer to Tunisia than to Sicily itself.

That location is everything. For 3,000 years, anyone sailing between Europe, Africa and the Middle East passed by Sicily, and an awful lot of them decided to stay.

Chapter 2 · The people

An island built like a mosaic

The red domes of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, with the Norman Palace behind.

Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Byzantines all took their turn here. The Greeks probably brought Nero d'Avola's ancestors to the vineyards around Syracuse. Then, in the 800s, Arab rulers from North Africa arrived and made Palermo, which they called Balarm, their capital. A traveller in the 900s counted around 300 mosques in the city.

In 1072 the Normans (yes, the same Viking-descended Normans who conquered England) took Palermo, and in 1130 Roger II was crowned king. Instead of wiping the slate clean, Roger built one of the most multicultural courts of the Middle Ages. Official business ran in Latin, Greek and Arabic. Muslim, Byzantine Greek, Latin and Jewish communities lived side by side. His star scholar, the Arab geographer al-Idrisi, spent 15 years making him a silver map of the known world, finished in 1154.

The Palatine Chapel.

You can still see that mix in stone. Inside Roger's Palatine Chapel, Byzantine gold mosaics sit under a carved wooden ceiling made by Islamic craftsmen, and two columns in Palermo's Christian churches still carry verses from the Qur'an. In 2015, UNESCO listed "Arab-Norman Palermo" as a World Heritage Site for its "exceptional exchange between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures."

Chapter 3 · The table

You can taste the history

Every one of those visitors left something on the plate, and the Arabs left the most. They planted citrus, rice and pistachios. The groves of lemons and oranges around Palermo were so lush the valley earned the name Conca d'Oro, the Golden Shell.

Even the wine carries the accent. Zibibbo, the grape behind Pantelleria's golden dessert wines, gets its name from the Arabic zabib: raisin.

Chapter 4 · The weather

Sun, sea breeze and altitude

Palm trees and lemon groves might make you think "tropical," but Sicily is classic Mediterranean: long, hot, dry summers and mild, gently rainy winters.

Two things keep the wines fresh instead of jammy. First, the wind: constant sea breezes sweep through the vineyards and keep disease away, which is a big reason Sicily now farms more organic vineyards than any other region in Italy. Second, height. Vines climb from sea level to nearly 1,000 metres, and up there hot days give way to cool, almost Alpine nights that keep the grapes' acidity bright.

Chapter 5 · The grapes

Meet the locals

Sicily has rediscovered more than 70 native grape varieties. You don't need to know them all, just these.

In the pack · Two native grapes

The island inside the island

Feudo Montoni's baglio among the vines and wheat hills.

To taste two of these grapes, we head for the very centre of Sicily. Durum wheat has grown in these hills since Roman times, and in 1469 the noble Aragonese Abatellis family built a baglio here, a classic Sicilian farmhouse around a courtyard. Feudo Montoni still makes its wines inside it today.

For more than 600 years, Montoni's green vineyards have flourished in the middle of all that golden wheat. The fields keep the vines naturally isolated, so locals call it "the Island of Montoni": about 80 hectares between 500 and 700 metres, all facing east. The tramontana and scirocco winds sweep through, which helps make their certified organic farming possible.

Crisp

Feudo Montoni · White

Grillo 'della Timpa'

Cammarata, central Sicily, ~700 m · 100% Grillo

The story: "Timpa" is Sicilian for a steep slope, and they mean it: this vineyard's gradient tops 70%. Six months resting on its lees in cement gives it a lovely texture.

Tastes like: white peach, jasmine and almond blossom, with a salty, citrusy snap.

Pair with: fritto misto, chickpea panelle, grilled calamari, seafood pasta, lemon chicken, goat cheese salad.

Elegant

Feudo Montoni · Red

Nerello Mascalese 'Terre di Elio' 2023

Cammarata, central Sicily, ~700 m · 100% Nerello Mascalese

The story: Etna's star grape, grown far from the volcano. Aged in cement tanks with very little contact with wood, so its subtle, silky texture shines through.

Tastes like: wild catmint, wormwood and laurel, with rose petals and lily.

Pair with: pasta alla Norma, roast pork, mushroom ragù, duck, meatballs in tomato sauce, aged pecorino.

"There are few estates anywhere in Italy making more compelling wines today." – Ian D'Agata

In the pack · A familiar face

Guests at the table

Not everything in Sicily is native. In the 1990s, when the island set out to win over the world, winemakers planted familiar international grapes like Chardonnay and Syrah. Syrah in particular feels right at home. It's an international grape with a Mediterranean soul, and in western Sicily it soaks up the sunshine and turns out fresh, juicy and easy to love.

Smooth

Santa Carla · Red

Syrah, IGT Terre Siciliane

Province of Trapani, western Sicily, 100–650 m · 100% Syrah

The story: Grown in the far west, where Syrah shows its fresher, more harmonious side. Fermented cool in stainless steel with only a short time on the skins, then aged in steel too, so nothing gets in the way of the fruit and its natural softness.

Tastes like: blackberry, raspberry and a touch of spice. Fresh and soft, with a smooth, easy feel and delicate tannins.

Pair with: pizza, bruschetta, tomato pasta, grilled meats, cured meats, burgers. Serve slightly cool, at 14–16°C.

Chapter 6 · The crown

Sicily's one and only DOCG

Gulfi's vineyards below the hilltop town of Chiaramonte Gulfi.

DOCG is Italy's top quality tier, and for an island with more vineyards than any other Italian region, Sicily has exactly one. It belongs to Cerasuolo di Vittoria, down in the southeast, where the soil turns rusty red. It was crowned in 2005.

The recipe is a perfect partnership. Nero d'Avola brings body and dark cherry, and Frappato, a rare local grape, brings perfume and lift. Dinner-table fact: old Sicilians call Nero d'Avola "Calabrese," which sounds like Calabria but really means "the grape from Avola."

Smooth

Gulfi · Red

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 2025

Chiaramonte Gulfi, Ragusa · 70% Nero d'Avola, 30% Frappato di Vittoria

The story: Gulfi are the pioneers of single-cru Nero d'Avola, dedicated to celebrating their land, history and culture through wine. Their trophy shelf is full: one of Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 Wineries in the World (2018), Best Producer of the Year in Sicily (2016), a Vino Slow Award (2014) and L'Espresso's Wine of Excellence (2012), to name a few.

Tastes like: cherry, violets and licorice, bright, juicy and persistent, with silky tannins and a long, lifted finish.

Pair with: pizza marinara, roasted chestnuts, caponata, roast chicken, grilled salmon, mushroom risotto. Serve it lightly chilled.

"Simply put, Gulfi is one of the best, if not the best, producers of Nero d'Avola wines in Sicily as well as one of Italy's top wine estates." – Ian D'Agata

Chapter 7 · The big thing to know

Living with a volcano

Mount Etna above its vineyards.

Mount Etna is Europe's most active volcano, and in Sicily it's simply called 'a Muntagna, the Mountain. The Greeks and Romans believed the blacksmith god's forge burned inside it. It had a busy 2026: lava fountains in July and August lit up the night sky and closed Catania's airport more than once.

So should we worry about the wine? Not really. The fireworks happen up around 3,000 metres, while the vineyards top out near 1,000, and lava hasn't touched a vine since 1981. Growers actually like the ash: it falls like fertiliser and builds the black volcanic sand that gives Etna wines their smoky, mineral edge.

The mountain feeds the whole kitchen, too. Bronte's famous green pistachios grow on its rugged lava slopes. Sicily's blood oranges owe their deep red colour to the contrast between Etna's snow and the hot sun on the plain below. And the snow itself was the very first granita.

Etna's comeback is a story in itself. For most of the 1900s its slopes were half abandoned. Then, around 2000, a trio of outsiders bought into the old, forgotten vineyards. Locals thought they were crazy. Today critics call Etna "the Burgundy of the Mediterranean."

Mellow

Pietradolce · White

Etna Bianco

North slope of Etna, ~800 m · 100% Carricante

The story: The Faro family planted their bush vines straight into volcanic sand, and their very first wine won Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri. Carricante is Etna's own white grape: high in acid, built to age.

Tastes like: lemon, bergamot and almond, with a smoky, salty finish.

Pair with: oysters, linguine al limone, grilled swordfish, fritto misto, aged pecorino.

Chapter 8 · The rare one

A little bit of pink

Roughly 60% of Sicily's wine is red and about 30% is white. Rosato, Italian for rosé, is only a tiny sliver, which makes a great one all the more special. Our last bottle comes from one of Italy's most exciting new wine projects.

Maugeri's terraces at Milo, on Etna's eastern slopes.

On Etna's eastern slopes, around the little town of Milo, the terraces look straight out over the Ionian Sea. The Maugeri estate made wine here 50 years ago, then spent decades growing fruit instead. In 2012, sisters Paola, Michela and Carla Maugeri decided to replant it with vines, and they made their first vintage in 2020. They've already won Gambero Rosso's coveted Tre Bicchieri.

Etna is usually thought of as red wine country, but Milo has long been home to the volcano's finest whites. Maugeri is one of the only Etna producers that doesn't make a red wine at all, which makes this rosato, made from red Nerello Mascalese, a rare treat.

Rosé

Maugeri · Rosato

Etna Rosato 'Contrada Volpare' 2024

Milo, east slope of Etna, ~700 m · Nerello Mascalese

Tastes like: apricot, orange blossom and wet stone.

Pair with: arancini, tuna crudo, grilled shrimp, caprese, salade niçoise, a charcuterie board.

"I think by now most people know that rosé can make a profound and luxurious wine, but if you have any doubts please try Maugeri's Etna Rosato. It tastes the way very fine cashmere feels, and makes everything in the world seem more glamorous." – 94 pts, Wine Enthusiast