Editors' Picks: Sicily

The island of Sicily is spectacularly beautiful and mostly mountainous, with jaw-dropping sea and land vistas. It has a rich, varied cuisine quite different from the rest of Italy, amazing seafood and a diverse range of wines, such that there is something for all palates, at all price points.

Blessed with an ideal wine-growing climate and a centuries-old wine-producing and wine-drinking tradition, it was always a good candidate to be a top-quality region. However, it has only been in the last decade or so that Sicily has really emerged as a quality wine region. It was always the largest wine-producing region in Italy, with a financial turnover of more than 1 billion euros. Most of this was, and much still is, of dubious quality, but there have been steady improvements that have been a pleasure to observe. It has taken the determination and passion of a few producers, like Planeta and Donnafugata, to invest in their homeland and the courage of some northern Italian wine giants, like Zonin and Pasqua, to bring about this renaissance.

Sicily today has some of the world's most modern wineries, with the latest technology for making wine in a searing hot, dry summer climate. This has required considerable financial investment to build and equip the wineries, and to entice and train talented agronomists and winemakers. The region's current success is the direct result of all this effort.

Historically, Sicily has played host to many civilizations, each leaving its mark that has contributed to the region's cultural milieu. The Greeks arrived around 800 B.C. and brought with them many of the grapes now regarded as indigenous to the island. Nowadays, most of the well-known international varieties can be found there, so the list of grapes grown is large and the styles of wine produced consequently diverse.

Modern winemaking in Sicily started at the end of the 18th century, when the British, in search of fortified wines like sherry and port, discovered Marsala - a fortified wine made from white grapes, named after the Italian town of its origin. They invested in the wine industry, improving the quality and volume, and brought wealth to the southwestern corner of the island, which remains today an important centre of wine production. Modern winemaking technology, especially temperature control, means that the widely planted white grapes - including grillo, grecanico, inzolia and catarratto - can be used to make fresh, lively, sometimes crisp, seafood-friendly wines, without a hint of the oxidation that was the style for the old fortified Marsalas.

The whites from the western side of the island are usually made without oak maturation, since the only grape that lends itself to barrel maturation is grillo. Grillo is probably Sicily's finest white grape and is gradually gaining in recognition. Chardonnay is also widely planted and can be found frequently blended with the native grapes, as well as on its own.

The dominant red wine grape of the island is undoubtedly nero d'Avola. Originally from the town of Avola in the southeast, it is now found everywhere. It is a very versatile grape that can be made into wine in a wide variety of styles from rosé, through fresh, lively reds (almost Beaujolais-like), to full-bodied, oak-matured styles. Most often vinified on its own, it is also blended with international varieties like syrah and cabernet sauvignon. Nero d'Avola marries with the frappato grape to make Cerasuolo di Vittoria in the southeast. This is a fresh, lively, light to mid-weight, fruity wine, often served a little chilled.

Etna is Europe's largest active volcano, with unique soils, and at 10,000 feet in height it creates its own very special climate in the east of the island. Consequently, the wines of Etna are distinct from the rest of Sicily. The white grape carricante and the black grapes nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio are widely planted and are the basis for the DOC wines of Etna. Mostly grown at altitudes of 800 to 1,000 feet in mineral-rich volcanic soils, they produce fresh, mid-weight wines designed for consumption when young, with only a few of the reds being oak matured.

It is fitting to end this brief Sicilian tour at one of the most magical parts of the region - the tiny volcanic island of Pantelleria, which lies about halfway between Sicily and North Africa. Here they grow moscato grapes, which are sun-dried after harvest and made into delicious sweet wines sometimes called zibbibo. The finest of these moscato wines is Passito di Pantelleria, with aromas and flavours of baked orange, honey and fruitcake.

I encourage all wine lovers to check out the diverse wines of Sicily when shopping, dining or, better, find a few days to visit Sicily to experience first hand one of my favourite wine regions.        

Make sure to check out the rest of our editors' picks:

An introduction by Anthony Gismondi

Sonoma

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Chardonnay

Cabernet Franc

Riesling

Maison Louis Jadot

Viña Montes

Seghesio Vineyards