Sicile

Sicily has been a land of wine since the time of the Phoenicians, who planted the first vineyards there in the 8th century BCE. While "Sicilian" wine began to gain recognition abroad in the 18th century, particularly with the sweet wine of Marsala, it was not until the 1970s that Sicilian viticulture underwent a major modernization and subsequent development.

Sicily enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, mild in winter and warm, even very hot, in summer. These favorable conditions have allowed it to reach 180,000 hectares of planted vineyards, making it the largest vineyard in all of Italy. 70% of production consists of white wine. A large portion of these Sicilian wines is produced by cooperatives using international grape varieties and native varieties such as Cataratto, Grecanico, Inzolia, Nero d’Avola, and Nerello Mascalese.

Sicily can now boast numerous local DOCs (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) that identify wines with distinct and typically Sicilian characteristics, such as Pantelleria, Monreale, and Vittoria. Wine enthusiasts will appreciate the character of the wines from Domaine Caruso & Minini.