What are the best wines of Sicily - Italy?


Feb 02, 2022

The best Sicilian wines are made from the island of Sicily, which is located in the Mediterranean Sea. There are a number of grape varieties grown there and they include: Nero d'Avola, Frappato, Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia.

Sicilian Wine: The Best Wines To Drink In Sicily

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea: its total area is slightly larger than that of the island of Sardinia and slightly smaller than the sum of the areas of the other three large Mediterranean islands (Cyprus, Corsica and Crete). 

Where does the name Sicily come from?

Various names have been used to indicate Sicily over time.

The name Trinacria has its etymological roots in Greek and Latin.

The name Vitulia is taken from the Catanian historian Santi Correnti, a profound connoisseur of Sicilian history, who reports that the Ionian coastline from Taormina to Messina was called 'Vitulia' in ancient times because the calves sacred to the Sun God were reared there.

The term 'Sicily' is said to derive from the Latin 'sica', a word used to indicate the sickle.

According to this interpretation 'Sicily' would mean the land of the scythe makers.

According to others, the name 'Sicily' actually derives from sik, a term denoting swelling and growth. So Sicily would mean 'land of fertility, island of fertility'.

10 places to see in Sicily

  1. Palermo
  2. Syracuse
  3. Messina
  4. Etna
  5. Taormina
  6. Pantelleria
  7. Valley of the Temples
  8. Piazza Armerina
  9. Marsala
  10. Trapani

Sicily Wines

The history of Sicilian wine closely mirrors that of Italian wine in general. As Italians learned more about grape growing and winemaking techniques, they turned to imported grapes to produce the wines they desired. Sicily had its own variety, called Nero d'Avola after the country where it was first grown.

The Sicilian wine industry is trying to break into the international market.

International demand for Sicilian wine is increasing because of its unique flavor profile.

Sicilian wines are known for their flavor, like tart cherries and blackberries. They often have hints of peach and other fruits. The wines are often made from two grape varieties: Nero d'Avola on the one hand; and Frappato on the other hand.

Sicily: grape varieties 

Among these, the most famous native black grape variety is Nero d'Avola, whose wines are characterized by intense aromas and impressive structures. Among the white grapes, the best known is Zibibbo, used to produce the sweet wines of Pantelleria, now considered among the best in Italy. The most important native white grapes in Sicily include Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia (also known as Insolia or Ansonica), Malvasia di Lipari and Moscato Bianco. The indigenous black grapes include Frappato, Nerello Cappuccio and Mascalese, and Perricone or Pignatello.

Sicily: cuisine

Sicilian cuisine is one of the oldest and most characteristic of all Italian cuisines. It takes its roots from a variety of different influences: Mediterranean, Eastern and Central European and North African.

The ancient Greeks introduced the first use of olive oil in Sicily. They were also responsible for introducing the cultivation of wheat and barley to Sicily.

What we think of as the modern pasta dish actually originated in Sicily, with Marco Polo importing tagliatelle from China to Italy in 1295. And that's just the beginning: Sicilian cuisine has many more riches to explore!

The cooking method that is 'most Sicilian'? Roasting overcooked meat on a spit over an open fire - typically a mixture of pork and beef!

First courses

  • Pasta alla norma
  • Macaroni Sicilian style

Second Courses

  • Breaded roast (Palermo)
  • Larded rabbit
  • Falsomagro
  • Sardines a beccafico

Sweets

  • Cassate
  • Cannoli
  • Martorana
  • Granita

 

 



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