Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of Italy's largest wine regions. Sunshine, sea and wind produce ripe, spicy wines. Nero d'Avola is the best-known grape, Grillo the best-known white grape, and on the slopes of Mount Etna, vines grow in volcanic soil.
Wine from Sicily, read more
We have dedicated pages about Italian wine, a well-known Sicilian winery and two wines you may encounter on the island.
Italian wine
Sicily is just one of Italy's wine regions. Read the full story here.
About Italian wine →
Planeta
Sicilian family winery with vineyards in various locations across the island, from the west to Mount Etna.
About Planeta →
Marsala
The famous fortified wine from the city of Marsala, made, among others, with the Grillo grape.
About Marsala →
An island of sunshine, sea and volcanoes
Sicily lies off the toe of the Italian boot, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the largest island in that sea and one of Italy's largest wine regions. Wine has been made here for a very long time: Greeks, Romans and Arabs all left their mark. The climate is warm and dry, with plenty of sunshine and a constant breeze from the sea. This makes the island well suited to organic viticulture. For a long time, much Sicilian wine was shipped in bulk to the mainland. Today, more and more wineries are making wine from their own native grapes.
Nero d'avola is the most important red grape, named after the town of Avola in the southeast. It produces full-bodied, fruity red wine with cherry and plum notes. In the southeast, it is blended with the lighter frappato to make Cerasuolo di Vittoria, the island's only DOCG. For white wine, grillo, catarratto and inzolia are the classic grapes, alongside fiano and international varieties such as chardonnay. Etna is a world of its own: the active volcano in the east. Vineyards grow on terraces on its slopes, at high elevations and on black volcanic soil. There, they make red wine from nerello mascalese and white wine from carricante: fresher and more structured than elsewhere on the island. In the west, around the city of Marsala, comes the fortified wine of the same name.
In brief
Seven bottles, from nero d'avola to Etna Bianco
First, two nero d'avolas and a Cerasuolo di Vittoria. Then a red and a white from Etna, a grillo and a rosé.
Planeta La Segreta Nero d'Avola
Authentic Sicilian nero d'avola. Plum, cacao, pomegranate and a hint of spice.
Mandrarossa Cartagho
One hundred percent nero d'avola, aged for twelve months in oak. Intense, with blackcurrant, cherry and dates.
Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria
From Sicily's only DOCG. Nero d'avola and frappato together, with cherry, strawberry and pomegranate.
Torre Mora Scalunera Etna Rosso
Red wine from the terraces on Mount Etna. Scalunera means black staircase in the local dialect, referring to the terraces on the volcano.
Planeta Etna Bianco BIO
Carricante from the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna. Saline and lively, with minerality and almond.
Planeta La Segreta Grillo
Grillo from western Sicily. White peach and plenty of freshness.
Planeta Rosé
Light, summery rosé with strawberries, raspberries, white peach and rhubarb.
From Grillo from the west to wine from Mount Etna: learn more about Planeta and its vineyards spread across the island.
Ripe cherries, herbs and saline freshness
Cherries & plums
Nero d'Avola smells of ripe cherries, plums and blackcurrants, often with a spicy or chocolatey note. Etna Rosso is lighter in color and smells of red cherries, herbs and sometimes a little smoke.
Sunny and juicy
The sun produces ripe, full-bodied wines with soft tannins. Wine from Mount Etna is fresher and more structured, with higher acidity thanks to the elevation and volcanic soil.
Spicy and saline
Sicilian red wine finishes spicy and fruity. Grillo and Carricante finish fresh, often with a saline, mineral note.
Flavor profile of an average Nero d'Avola. An Etna Rosso scores higher on freshness, while a wood-aged Nero d'Avola scores higher on power.
How to serve Sicilian wine
Red slightly cooler than room temperature, light red wine even lightly chilled, and white and rosé chilled.
Red at 15 to 18 degrees
Serve a full-bodied Nero d'Avola at around 16 to 18 degrees. Lighter red wine, such as Frappato or Cerasuolo di Vittoria, is best lightly chilled at around 14 to 15 degrees. If the bottle is in a warm room, put it in the fridge for fifteen minutes.
More about wine temperature →Let it breathe
Most Sicilian wine can be poured straight away. A wood-aged Nero d'Avola or an Etna Rosso can sometimes be a little closed when young. If so, pour it into a decanter half an hour before the meal.
Decanters →White and rosé chilled
Serve grillo, Etna Bianco and rosé at 8 to 10 degrees. A full-bodied chardonnay or fiano can be served slightly less chilled, around 10 to 12 degrees. Place the bottle in a cooler in between.
More about decanting →Sicilian wine at the table
Sicilian cuisine revolves around fish, vegetables, olive oil and herbs, with influences from Greece and North Africa. This pairs beautifully with the island's sunny wines.
Pasta and meat
Pasta with tomato sauce or ragù, pizza, grilled meat and lamb. An oak-aged nero d'avola also pairs well with game and mature cheese.
Tuna and vegetables
Lighter red wines pair with grilled tuna, caponata, aubergine and mushroom dishes.
Fish and shellfish
Fresh white wine pairs well with grilled fish, seafood pasta, prawns and salads.
Antipasti and the terrace
A dry rosé is delicious with antipasti, arancini, salads and light summer dishes.
The right glass for Sicilian wine
Pour nero d'avola into a spacious red wine glass to give the fruit room to develop. For a powerful oak-aged bottle, choose a tall, large bowl; for grillo and rosé, use a smaller glass. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Sicilian wine
Can't find your question here? Read more about wine and food, or get in touch.
Wine and food pairing →What is Sicilian wine?
What is nero d'avola?
What is special about wine from Etna?
What is grillo?
How much alcohol is in Sicilian wine?
What do you eat with nero d'avola?
Buy wine from Sicily
Want the bottle at home right away? Order wine from Sicily online at Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 58, of which 23 are on offer.
Inycon Growers Pinot Grigio
Inycon Growers Pinot Grigio Blush
Inycon Organic Shiraz
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