Sicily
Sicily
A mere generation ago, there mightn't have been much to say here about Sicilian wine. Apart from Marsala, the reds were mostly sold in bulk to fatten up pale wines from cooler European vintages, or lost in the production of vermouth somewhere.
But with it's special place at the confluence of Mediterranean and North African cultures, there's been a modern day renaissance in wine and food here that is nothing short of a remarkable. Australians have an affinity for this blend of warm Mediterranean climate, migrant culture and vibrant food. Sicily just makes sense.
Red or white?
Red production is dominated by Nero d'Avola, grown in most regions across the island. Ranging from juicy medium bodied cherry fruited styles blended with the lighter Frappato, to sturdy dark, structured and plummy numbers that will appeal to Shiraz lovers.
Nerello Mascalese is exciting for its structured, fragrant and tannic wines, coming on high from the steep volcanic slopes of the still very active Mount Etna.
Surprisingly, there's also plenty of white planted here, chief among them Carricante. Distinctively refreshing with notes of smoke, cut herbs and lemon tonic.
Grapes
Carricante, Grillo, Nero d'Avola, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese
Favourite Producers
Occhipinti, COS, Terre Nere, Tenuta Aglaea, Feudo Montoni, Planeta, De Bartoli, Girolamo Russo, Passopisciaro
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Tenuta Aglaea Vermouth BiancoMade from a mix of local white grapes grown at high altitude, this has been infused with local organic spices and herbs, the main herb ingredient is Artemisia absinthium. With 125gm residual sugar, this rounds out a Vesper nicely! GABRIELLE POY, PWS2017VermouthItaly482$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Tenuta Aglaea Vermouth DryMade from a field blend of white grapes; carricante, cataratto, inzolia, greganico and minella at high altitude, this has been infused with local organic spices and herbs, the main herb ingredient is Artemisia absinthium.This finishes drier than the Bianco with 40gm residual sugar. Pour this over ice with soda and a olive to garnish for a lovely aperitif. GABRIELLE POY, PWS2017VermouthItaly482$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Bortolone Frappato 2022The Cosenza family’s vineyards are ideally located in a valley where the Para Para and Mazzarronello rivers join. Frappato thrives in these sandy soils and hot and dry climate to produce a light red bursting with red f ruits and a lively f reshness. It is perhaps exactly the sort of wine you might not expect f rom such a region: light colour, gentle tannins, moderate alcohol and refreshing acidity. When blended with Nero d’Avola, the two grapes complement one another with a little more body and richer f ruit whilst maintaining energy and f reshness.
100% Frappato, fermented at cool temperatures for about two weeks and aged in stainless steel for a few months. A light ruby colour, this is perfumed with bright red berry f ruit that is f resh, carried through onto the palate with ref reshing acidity. Locally it pairs well with oily fish, pasta with sardines and caponata.2022Italy482$49.00 As low as $44.10 -
Hoopoe Sangiovese Toscana IGTMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019sangioveseItaly482$50.00 As low as $45.00 -
Pietradolce Etna Bianco 2023A burst of crushed stones, ginger-spiked green apples, fennel and dried flowers creates an invigorating bouquet as the 2023 Etna Bianco explodes from the glass. It’s silky and enveloping, with a sour tinge of green melon and salty mineral tones that add cheek-puckering tension within. The 2023 tapers off wickedly fresh yet potent. A sour citrus concentration lingers as hints of kiwi and fresh mint slowly recede. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com2023Italy482$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Passopisciaro Passorosso Etna Rosso 2022The 2022 Passorosso is spicy in the glass with an herbal thrust up front, giving way to ginger-tinged dried cherries and dusty sage. This is silky-smooth with ripe red and hints of blue fruit. Brisk acidity motivates the mouthfeel as the 2022 takes on a salty savoriness toward the close. It finishes with outstanding length and concentration, leaving a coating of fine tannins and a resonance of licorice on the close. This is far from your average Etna Rosso, with nearly 50% of the fruit hailing from Contrada Guardiola ERIC GUIDO, Vinous
Beguiling nose of red fruit and pistachios, with flowers and black pepper enhancing the aromas. The attack is a bit raw, with edgy tannins and crisp acidity. It's medium- to full-bodied and chewy, with a balanced finish. It needs time to soften the structure, but displays a tight, crunchy youthful style that will match well with food and has the potential for aging. This high-altitude vineyard delivers greatness. JAMES SUCKLING
This 2022 is a true olfactory explosion of violets, lavender, wild herbs and black cherry. Intense, ripe and fleshy flavours of red and black fruits are accompanied by a hint of Parma violets, followed by a balanced finish that is both rich and fresh. DECANTER
2022Nerello MascaleseItaly482 -
Cos Pithos Rosso 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Italy482$68.00 As low as $61.20 -
Citrange Limone Amaro 500mlThese incredible amaro's are produced by Michele Faro of Pietradolce in Sicily. The Faro family have grown Sicilian citrus on the slopes of Mount Etna for generations.
The Limone contains lemon peel, gentian, cinchona, clove, oregano, elderflower, cinnamon and a range of secret family ingredients.
Italy482$78.00 As low as $70.20 -
Passopisciaro Passorosso Etna Rosso 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019Nerello MascaleseItaly482$79.00 As low as $71.10 -
Cos Pithos Bianco 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Italy482$84.00 As low as $75.60 -
Famiglia Statella Pettinociarelle Etna Rosso 2019The attractive red-plum and cherry nose pulls you into this generous and fresh Etna red. Beautiful balance of ripe fruit and polished tannins. Moderately dry, mineral finish. JAMES SUCKLING2019Nerello MascaleseItaly482$100.00 As low as $90.00 -
Tornatore Etna Trimarischa 2017More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019Nerello MascaleseItaly482$110.00 As low as $99.00 -
Pietradolce Archineri Etna Bianco 2022The 2022 Etna Bianco Archineri wafts up with a spicy blend of dusty dried flowers, shaved ginger and zest of lime. It's round and supple, with a pretty inner sweetness and ripe orchard fruits offset by a core of tactile minerals. Brisk acidity adds a mouthwatering quality through the close as this finishes with medium length, leaving behind hints of candied citrus and fresh mint. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com
2022Italy482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Pietradolce Etna Rosso Santo Spirito 2020Remarkably pretty, the 2020 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito wafts up with a lifted blend of black cherries and dried strawberries, complemented by hints of clove and allspice. It's soothingly round, with pretty red berry fruits motivated by vibrant acidity as rosy inner florals and licorice tones form toward the close. This tapers off with a classic tannic grip, maintaining fantastic freshness. The 2020 possesses a lovely balance that will carry it through its long and broad drinking window. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com
2020Nerello MascaleseItaly482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Tanca Nica Firri Firri 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Nero d'AvolaItaly482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Pietradolce Etna Rosso Archineri 2020Earthy, dark and brooding, the 2020 Etna Rosso Archineri grumbles up with a youthfully backward bouquet of ashen stones, grilled herbs and dried berries. It's silky smooth, with ripe wild berry fruits offset by hints of blood orange. A saline core of minerality saturates toward the close. This leaves the palate reeling with residual tension. Brisk acidity peppers the senses and fine tannins penetrate deeply, making for a dramatically long, structured and intense finale. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com2020Nerello MascaleseItaly482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Pietradolce Etna Rosso Rampante 2020Hauntingly dark and floral, the 2020 Eina Rosso Rampante smolders up with an array of dusty violets, lavender, cloves and earth tones before giving way to musky black currants. This is sleek and cool toned in feel, showing its crisp minerality up front as tart wild berry fruits emerge over a core of sour citrus and spice. Structured and long yet still remarkably fresh, the 2020 finishes with dramatic length and concentration, leaving a hint of licorice and saline minerals that pinch at the cheeks. Patience will be required for this strapping Etna Rosso to come to full maturity. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com
2020Nerello MascaleseItaly482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Pietradolce Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo 2020Dusty, floral and slightly spicy, the 2020 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo entices from the first tilt of the glass. It floods the palate with textures of pure silk, complicated by tactile mineral tones and brisk acidity as crunchy red berry fruits cascade throughout. A tart cranberry crunchiness takes hold through the structured finale as violet inner florals slowly fade. This is a simply stunning rendition of Feudo di Mezzo. Bravo. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com2020Nerello MascaleseItaly482$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Occhipinti Santa Margherita (SM) Bianco 2023Some years ago, my passion always growing for white wines and my desire to produce white wine to recount the limestone and the sense of the rock of the Iblei Mounts, I started to search for a place where to plant a new vineyard. In 2016 after some research, I found Santa Margherita, a contrada I fell in love with, at the base at the foot of Chiaramonte Gulfi, an ancient village on the Iblei Mounts. The vineyard, sited at 490 meters on the level of the sea, surrounded by pine forest, oaks and secular olive trees, is divided in 4 parcels on sandy calcareous marl of whitish colour, with sand and yellowish white calcarenites. They are sediments that comes from sea since Pleistocene period. The parcels Costa Sud and Costa Nord, with a training system method called alberello, they have rich soil about gypsum and fossils and give complexity and salinity. The parcels Terrazza and Trefile, with a training system, alberello growing on trellis, are rich about limestone and give more pulp and acidity. The variety? The Grillo. White grape variety, with great personality, very diffused in west Sicily and since last ten years in East Sicily too with historic name of Riddu. Probably it is a cross of Zibibbo and Catarratto. It has a good aromatic intensity, that remind you of typical citrus notes accompanied by spicy vegetal notes and white flowers. It has a good balance between the alcoholic sensation and the acidity, and it is particularly savory. In this way, I would like that this variety be considered an intermediary, a tool available to the terroir and not the aim. The wine, after a short maceration of 48 hours, ferments spontaneously in concrete and oval Austrian oak barrel, in which it has aged for 12 months. ARIANNA OCCHIPINTI2023GrilloItaly482$150.00 As low as $135.00 -
Santa Maria La Nave Tempesta Perfetta 2015More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2015Italy482$175.00 As low as $157.50 -
Passopisciaro Passorosso Etna Rosso 2016Raspberry, cherry, light spice and smokiness, almond, floral prettiniess this vintage too. Bright red fruits, firm, brick dust tannin, very ‘mineral’ and stony, slip of orange peel and dried herb on the finish. It’s a complete iteration of Passorosso with weight of fruit, freshness and perfume all in the mix. Splendid (95) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
Woodland berry, smoke, wild rose and Mediterranean scrub lead the way on this vibrant red. Racy and succulent, the savory, focused palate delivers juicy strawberry, red cherry, star anise and chopped herb alongside polished tannins and bright acidity. A saline note gives it a tangy finish KERIN O’KEEFFE, Wine Enthusiast2016Nerello MascaleseItaly482$220.00 As low as $198.00