Sicily: vacations, volcanos, and vino!

Sicily is a large island located off the southwest coast of the Italian peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. The island welcomes millions of visitors annually and is a paradise for food lovers, sightseers, and beach lovers. It has stunning architecture, holy sites, and beautiful beaches and is the home of cannolis! 

On the eastern end of Sicily sits the massive Mt. Etna volcano, now used partially as vineyard land even though active. Sicily has a perfect climate for producing delicious wine with its signature indigenous Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes and international varieties. Sicilian wines use placenames and grape types on their labels for easy identification.

 Historic Tidbit.

Archimedes, the famous Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer, was born in Syracuse, Sicily, in 287 B.C.

Appellations of Note.

Terre Siciliane IGT: one of many regional IGTs for dry table wines. Excellent Sicilian wines can be found at this quality level.

Marsala DOC: produces fortified, sweet wine from aged blends of Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto grapes, and more. Blended or “fortified” with brandy, this is a high-alcohol wine of 15%–20% ABV. It is made from dry to sweet, in three colors and multiple ages.

Etna DOC: wine produced from vines planted on the volcanic slopes of the active Mt. Etna Volcano.

Sicilia DOC: covers all of Sicily for red, white, and rosé dry table wines.

Moscato di Pantelleria DOC: sweet wine produced from dried Moscato grapes on the island of Pantelleria.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG: produces fine red wine from the indigenous Nero d’Avola grape blended with Frappato grapes.

Classifications.

Levels of sweetness, color, and age classify Marsala. 

• Sweetness: secco (dry), semi-secco (semisweet), sweet. 
• Color: Oro (golden), Ambra (amber), Rubino (ruby). 
• Years of aging: 1-Fine, 2-Superiore, 4-Superiore Riserva, 5-Vergine, Soleras, 10-Vergine, Stravecchio, and Soleras Riserva.

Recommended Signature Wine.

Try a red from the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG made with Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes as a starting point. Cerasuolo wines are ruby red, with aromas of black cherries and strawberries. These rich and intense wines can age for a long time and improve with five to ten years in the cellar, even longer for the best ones.

A must-try wine is sweet Marsala. It is a delicious aperitif or dessert wine and an ingredient in savory cooking. Familiar flavors found in Marsala are vanilla, brown sugar, apricot, tropical fruit, and honey.