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Regions in Italy

Region · Italy

Sicily

150 bottles

Sicily, the Mediterranean island and Italian region with the most land area, is one of the country's top regions by volume.

Famous for its wines in antiquity, it spent much of the twentieth century infamous for ultra-cheap vino da tavola, until a quality-oriented mini-revolution in the 1970s-80s.

Today more fascinating wines — white and red — are made than ever.

Sicily's mainstay red is nero d'Avola (also called Calabrese), a high-quality variety making intensely black-coloured, concentrated reds of real depth, juiciness and charm, and increasingly of surprising complexity and richness.

A separate zone generating excitement is Mt.

Etna, whose chilly, high-altitude, black-lava terroir suits snappy whites (riesling and the local, minerally carricante) and pale but ferociously dry, bitter reds from nerello Mascalese and nerello cappuccio.

The local white grillo makes dry, racy, peppery whites.

Sicily is also home to two dried-grape (passito) dessert wines — moscato passito di Pantelleria (from zibibbo/muscat of Alexandria) and malvasia delle Lipari — and to the historic fortified Marsala (grillo, catarratto, inzolia), which at vergine/vergine stravecchio level is often likened to aged tawny Ports and oloroso Sherries.

Key grapes

Nero d'Avola

A few to explore

Subregions

Etna — Etna's active volcano provides mineral-rich basalt soils and high-altitude diurnal temperature swings. Nerello Mascalese dominates red production; Carricante leads whites. Old ungrafted bush vines, some pre-phylloxera, define the appellation.
Marsala — Marsala DOC occupies Sicily's western tip near Trapani. Grillo, Catarratto, and Inzolia are fortified with grape spirit and aged oxidatively. Styles range from Fino to Vergine; sweetness levels from Secco to Dolce.
Nero d'Avola — Nero d'Avola thrives in southeastern Sicily on calcareous clay soils under intense Mediterranean heat. It produces deep-coloured, tannic reds with high alcohol. Noto and Pachino are its historic heartlands, yielding the most concentrated expressions.

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The WNLQ9 catalogue lists 150 bottles from Sicily, Italy. The selection spans Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Syrah. Critic scores include: Donnafugata Tancredi D&G (Cabernet Sauvignon, Nero d'Avola, Tannat) (93 pts, James Suckling).

About Sicily: its grapes, sub-regions and bottles

Frequently Asked Questions

What Sicily wines and spirits are in the WNLQ9 catalogue?

The WNLQ9 catalogue lists 150 bottles from Sicily, Italy, including Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Syrah. Browse the collection: https://wnlq9.shop/explore-map/sicily

Which Sicily bottles in the WNLQ9 catalogue have critic scores?

Critic scores include: Tasca D'Almerita Tascante Contrada Sciaranuova VV (97 pts, Wine Enthusiast); Donnafugata Fragore Contrada Etna Rosso DOC (97 pts, James Suckling); Donnafugata Mille e Una Notte Contessa Entellina DOC (96 pts, James Suckling).