Wine tours in Italy: visit the Sicilian wineries and tasting the best wines of Italy
Follow our trail through visits and tastings in the best winecellars and among the most important Italian vineyards of the island. Discover strong flavours and ancient Sicilian wines, the discovery of
... a tradition that dates back to the time of Homer. Learn about wine and Sicilian viticulture while experiencing lunch or dinner in a unique location.
Or stay in a selected wine resort, to pass your holiday in nature, between mountains, the volcano and the sea, or just a few days immersed in Italian vineyards that bare testimony to an ancient tradition. Or, instead, the unique experience of taste itineraries between volcanoes and islands, charming scenes of grapevines and ancient millstones, where you can discover and taste the best products of this part of the Italian wine country, the ''Wine Island '.
Sicily: the legendary land of grapevines and wine
To holiday in Sicily is not only to visit the most beautiful island of the Mediterranean, to explore its monuments and nature and throw oneself into the discovery of its long history, but also to be carried away into a world of some of the richest scents, colours and flavours.
And the island's wine tradition sinks into the mists of time.
Ancient legends speak of how life first sprang forth from the tears of a thirsty Dionysius. And thus wine was born, the nectar of the gods, given to men to console their labours and delight their senses.
It was the Greek settlers who handed down the ancient vocation of grape cultivation, once they arrived at Naxos, on the slopes of Etna. They were the first to devote themselves to the intensive cultivation of grapevines, thus starting the production of Sicilian wines.
The Phoenicians, skilled sailors and merchants, then made Sicilian wines one of the most important trading products of the era.
Historic wines such as Marsala and Moscato, produced by traditional Sicilian vineyards through the years, still today testify to the thousands of years of winemaking tradition. Dessert wines, Muscat and Malvasia, but also Nero d’Avola, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Nerello mascalese, Inzolia, have ancient histories and are still amongst the most famous of Sicilian wines, in Italy and in the rest of the world.
Amongst the offers of Sicilying you will find historical winecellars and ancient plots of vineyards: to taste a glass of wine from such places means taking you back in history to ancient times, becoming immersed in the flavours and fragrances already loved and enjoyed by the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans, then appropriated by the Normans and Arabs, French and Spanish, as along the way historical events unfurled and marked Sicily, as well as Italy and the Mediterranean.
As one of the wine regions of Italy, the Sicilian territory is celebrated today for the production of excellent wines of extraordinary and unquestionable quality and richness, the result of a cultivation as ancient as civilization. Sicily for that matter, because of its climatic conditions, mild temperatures, hilly land, sea breeze and near perpetual sunshine, still offers the ideal conditions for growing grapevines, making it, without doubt, the island of wine.
The offers that Sicilying have selected for you offer unique opportunities to truly get to know the sensory richness of the best Sicilian wines, immersing you in the nature of the vineyards and penetrating the darkness of the oldest winecellars.
Moreover, Sicily offers an incredibly rich variety of wines and grape varieties, all to be discovered.
Today many Sicilian wines are recognized as Italian wine products of excellence with guarantees of quality production: a number of Sicilian wines can boast Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (DOCG), the Controlled Denomination of Origin (DOC) and the Typical Geographic Indication (IGT).
The leading figure among the local wines is the Nero d'Avola, whose development and distribution continues to grow. Thanks to the fame of this extraordinary red wine, Sicily has gained more and more respect in the world of wine experts and specialists: Nero d'Avola today is not only called 'the prince of Sicilian wines' and recognized as one of the best of Italy's wines, but without a doubt it is the best known wine and most appreciated Sicilian wine throughout the world.
But beyond the Nero D'Avola there lies an incredible range of excellent table wines, such as Bianco d'Alcamo produced in the provinces of Palermo and Trapani, the Eloro white and red, the Contessa Entellina, the Delia Nivolelli, the wine of Etna, the Faro, Menfi, Monreale, Ries, Santa Margherita di Belice and Sciacca, as well as the Sambuca of Sicily.
And there is a huge wealth of grape types, both indigenous and not, both of which find on this island unique growing conditions. As for Sicilian wines produced with indigenous white grapes, you cannot fail to remember the extraordinary qualities of Carricante, Cataratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, also known by the names of Insolia or Ansonica, Malvasia of Lipari, Moscato Bianco, Zibibbo and Moscato d'Alessandria. And among Sicilian red grapes Frappato stands out, along with Nerello Cappuccio or Mantelleto, Nerello Mascalese, the aforementioned Nero d'Avola or Calabrese and Perricone or Pignatello.
Alongside the indigenous grapes there are also many international grapes in Sicily, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Muller Thurgau, Pinot Noir and Syrah and Italian varieties such as Trebbiano, Sangiovese and Barbera, often with quite unique aromas.
And finally Sicily is also famous for the production of its sweet wines and fortified wines: from Marsala, typical of the Sicilian vineyards of Trapani and known throughout the world, to the Malvasia of Lipari, Moscato of Noto and Syracuse, the Passito of Pantelleria and Zibibbo.
The Sicilying offers will take you on a discovery of a world of wines and unique flavours, rich and full of tradition, a must for any fan of good taste.
The Sicilying food and wine offers: unique experiences between the grapevines, landscapes, flavours and history
Savour the taste of a Sicilian wine while immersed in the extraordinary nature of the island, amongst sun-scorched grapevines, the scent of the hills brought to life by the sea breeze, the coolness of the historic winecellars, all enrich the flavour of the moment into an intense and unforgettable experience. If you are wine lovers or just simply want to discover the incredible nuances of this historical product, come to visit Sicily with us: the many vineyards of Sicily are waiting for you!
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO DISCOVER THE UNIQUE CORNERS OF SICILY, Sicilying has chosen for you wine and food tasting tours to discover the flavours of Italian wine country. You will have the chance to delve between the Sicilian grapevines to explore characteristic farms, isolated historical buildings nestled in the Sicilian countryside, Fourteenth-century monasteries and farms, selected vineyards in Trapani, in Nicosia or at the foot of Etna, to savour the most celebrated products of this land: Nero d'Avola, Inzolia, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, red and white Etna DOC red and white, and many more.
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO DISCOVER ABOUT WINE PRODUCTION, many of our selected companies offer sensory pathways and introductions to the wineries, starting amongst the grapevines, then to the winery and barrel room (where the ageing of the wine in wooden barrels takes place). In the intimacy of these secret places you will taste selected wines accompanied by cheese and meats of the area, along with typical Sicilian bread.
FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO DISCOVER THE RICH HISTORY OF THE WINE THEY ARE SIPPING, you can't say no to a visit to an historic Sicilian vineyard: selected offers will allow you to familiarize yourself with the flavours of the best Sicilian wines while at the same time exploring the many cultural roots of this extraordinary land. For example in Marsala, where you find the epicentre of the famous company Donnafugata. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the ancient estate, delve into the history and taste the finest of their wines. You will also be able to visit the famous Castle of Donnafugata, a magnificent Sicilian house of the Nineteenth century.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO TAKE AN EXPERIENTIAL TRIP INTO THE ANCIENT TRADITION OF SICILIAN WINE PRODUCTION, you will be able to stay in a selected wine resort, to spend a holiday surrounded by nature and unique landscapes, suspended between the mountain, the volcano and the sea, or you could pass a few days cultivating the age-old passion for grapes, wine, and wine-growing in Italian vineyards that bare testimony to a tradition as ancient as civilisation.
