Start with Nero d'Avola
Sicily's signature red offers bold fruit and soft tannins, often at very friendly prices.
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Wine Regions
Sunny, windswept, and crowned by a smoking volcano, Sicily has gone from bulk-wine supplier to one of Italy's most exciting regions. Here is what to pour and where it comes from.
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Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, just off the toe of Italy’s boot. It has been making wine for thousands of years, influenced by Greeks, Phoenicians, Arabs, and many others who passed through. The climate is hot, dry, and very sunny, with steady sea breezes and occasional hot winds from North Africa. Those dry, windy conditions keep vineyards healthy, so organic farming is common and relatively easy here. For much of the twentieth century, Sicily produced large amounts of simple wine sold in bulk, often to strengthen blends elsewhere. Since the 1990s, growers have focused on native grapes and better sites, transforming the island’s reputation. Landscapes vary from hot, flat western plains to cooler hills in the interior and the high, volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in the east. That variety is why Sicily wine ranges from rich, sunny reds to fresh, mineral whites.
Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s signature red and its most widely planted red grape. It makes deep-colored, full-bodied wines with plum, black cherry, blackberry, and a touch of licorice and sweet spice. Tannins are soft, and acidity is fresh enough to keep it lively, so it is often compared to a cross between Syrah and Merlot. Many bottles are affordable, making it one of Italy’s best values. Frappato is the opposite: pale, light, and floral, with strawberry, pomegranate, and white pepper, best served slightly chilled. In the southeast, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG, blends Nero d’Avola’s depth with Frappato’s perfume. For whites, Grillo gives citrus, white peach, and fresh herbs with a salty edge. Catarratto, the most planted white grape, is crisp and lemony, and Inzolia adds nutty, rounder notes to blends.
Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest active volcano, is home to some of Italy’s most talked-about wines. Vineyards climb its slopes to high elevations, where days are sunny but nights are cold, so grapes keep bright acidity. The soils are black volcanic sand and ash, and some vines are very old, growing on their own roots because phylloxera struggles in this sandy soil. Harvest here can run into October, unusually late for Sicily. Etna Rosso is made mainly from Nerello Mascalese, often with some Nerello Cappuccio. It is pale and perfumed, with red cherry, wild strawberry, dried herbs, and smoky minerality, and it is often compared to Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo for its elegance and firm tannins. Etna Bianco, made mainly from Carricante, is crisp and saline, with lemon, green apple, and flinty notes. Like Santorini, Etna shows how volcanic soil shapes wine.
Sicily also has a long tradition of fortified and dessert wines. Marsala, from the western tip of the island near the town of the same name, is a fortified wine developed for export by English merchants in the late 1700s. It ranges from dry to sweet and is aged in barrels, giving notes of dried fruit, caramel, walnut, and brown sugar. Many people know it only as a cooking ingredient for chicken or veal Marsala, but aged dry Marsala is a fine sipping wine; our cooking with wine guide explains how to use the cheaper styles in the kitchen. On the tiny island of Pantelleria, between Sicily and Tunisia, Zibibbo grapes, a type of Muscat, are dried in the sun to make Passito di Pantelleria, a luscious dessert wine with apricot, honey, and orange peel. The Aeolian Islands make sweet Malvasia delle Lipari.
Start with a Nero d’Avola and a Grillo, two affordable bottles that show Sicily’s sunny style. Then try a Frappato, lightly chilled, and an Etna Rosso to see how altitude and volcanic soil create elegance. Finish with a glass of Passito di Pantelleria or aged Marsala with dessert. Sicilian food is bold and Mediterranean, and the wines fit perfectly. Nero d’Avola suits pasta alla Norma with eggplant and tomato, grilled sausages, meatballs, and pizza. Grillo and Etna Bianco love seafood: grilled swordfish, pasta with sardines and fennel, fried calamari, and raw red shrimp. Frappato and Etna Rosso pair well with seared tuna, a Sicilian specialty, and with caponata, the island’s sweet-and-sour eggplant dish. Arancini, fried rice balls, work with almost any Sicilian white. Pair cannoli with Passito or sweet Marsala.
Sicily is big, so pick a region or two rather than trying to see everything. For Etna, base yourself in Catania or the hilltop resort town of Taormina; many wineries sit on the volcano’s northern slopes, and guided tours combine tastings with walks on old lava flows. In the west, Marsala and Trapani are good bases for Marsala cellars, Grillo vineyards, and the nearby salt pans. The southeast, around Vittoria, Ragusa, and the baroque town of Noto, is the place for Cerasuolo di Vittoria and Nero d’Avola. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, avoiding the intense summer heat; Etna’s harvest often runs into October. Roads can be slow, so allow extra time and arrange a driver for tasting days. Many estates require reservations, and some offer lunch with local dishes, olive oil, and their own wines.
| Grape or Style | Character | Try It With |
|---|---|---|
| Nero d'Avola | Full, plum, black cherry, soft tannins | Pasta alla Norma or grilled sausages |
| Frappato | Light, floral, strawberry, served cool | Seared tuna or charcuterie |
| Cerasuolo di Vittoria | Medium body, cherry, floral, juicy | Roast chicken or pizza |
| Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) | Pale, red fruit, herbs, smoky, firm | Mushroom pasta or lamb |
| Etna Bianco (Carricante) | Crisp, lemon, saline, flinty | Swordfish or raw shellfish |
| Grillo | Citrus, peach, herbs, salty edge | Fried calamari or pasta with sardines |
| Passito di Pantelleria | Sweet, apricot, honey, orange peel | Cannoli or almond pastries |
Sicily's signature red offers bold fruit and soft tannins, often at very friendly prices.
Serve Frappato at 55°F to highlight its bright strawberry and floral notes.
Etna Rosso and Bianco show Sicily's elegant, mineral side, very different from its sunny lowland wines.
Learn Your Taste
Answer a few simple questions and discover styles that fit your palate.
Take the Wine QuizNero d'Avola is Sicily's best-known red and its most widely planted red grape. Etna Rosso and Etna Bianco from Mount Etna have become highly prized, and Marsala is the island's historic fortified wine.
Nero d'Avola is full-bodied with plum, black cherry, blackberry, and hints of licorice and spice. It has soft tannins and fresh acidity, making it smooth and easy to drink young, especially with tomato-based dishes and grilled meats.
Etna's vineyards grow at high elevations on an active volcano, with black volcanic soils and cool nights. The wines are lighter, more elegant, and more mineral than most Sicilian wine, often compared to Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo.
No. Inexpensive Marsala is mainly used in cooking, but aged Marsala, especially dry versions, is a fine sipping wine with notes of dried fruit, nuts, and caramel. Serve it as an aperitif or with dessert and aged cheese.
Yes. Nero d'Avola, Grillo, Frappato, and many Sicilian blends offer excellent quality for their price, often under $20. Etna wines and top estate bottlings cost more but are still reasonable compared with famous mainland regions.
Match Nero d'Avola with pasta alla Norma, sausages, and pizza, and Grillo or Etna Bianco with swordfish, sardines, and fried seafood. Frappato suits seared tuna, while Passito di Pantelleria pairs with cannoli and almond pastries.
