The 12 Best Wineries in Sicily to Visit in 2024
In 1885, French author Guy de Maupassant wrote that “Sicily is the land of oranges, of flowering soil whose air, in spring, is all perfume.” Perfectly capturing the alluring romance of Sicily, de Maupassant too acknowledged the intoxicating effect of its colored history, describing the island as a “strange and divine museum of architecture”.
To this day, de Maupassant’s scribblings remain true: Sicily is still the land of oranges, flowers, perfumes, and masterpieces in baroque. For me, however, Sicily’s romance continues far beyond that. It is the land with a sun and people equally radiant, a land where golden beaches meet sapphire seas, a land of remarkable landscapes, exquisite food, and wonderous wines.
As someone with a true love for wine, and whose travel itineraries always include a winery a visit or two (or twelve), I’ve written this article to share with you the best wineries in Sicily to visit in 2024.
An island which moves hearts, souls, and the pens of poets, Sicily is a place impossible not to be love- struck by. With this list of Sicily’s best wineries, you’ll have the opportunity to make an even deeper connection with its lands, people, traditions, and identity, all by simply raising a glass.
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The Best Wineries in Sicily
Whether at the foot of a volcano in Sicily’s East, in the rolling hills near its Western seafront, or on a tiny island off its Southern coast, you’ll find incredible Sicilian wineries offering authentic, unique, and unforgettable experiences. In fact, Sicily is one of Italy’s top destinations for wine lovers, and it’s easy to see why after visiting!
Below are 12 of the best of these wineries, twelve wineries which each capture a unique piece of Sicily that they can’t wait to share with you!
So, let’s get started!
1. Benanti
Benanti is found at the foot of the stunning Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano. The grandeur of this landscape offers a unique environment for growing grapes, with vines planted as high as 3900ft above sea level, rooted in complex volcanic soils ever refreshed by recurring eruptions.
In the late 1800s, Giuseppe Benanti began to experiment with making wine on the volcano, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the first Benanti wines were bottled for commercial sale. Now, Benanti has solidified itself as one of the best wineries in Sicily, and an icon of Etna winemaking.
Most of Benanti’s wines fall into the ‘Etna Rosso (red)’ and ‘Etna Bianco (white)’ DOC labels. These are wines made predominantly from Sicilan native varieties Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, respectively. Expressing each of Etna’s slopes through these incredibly communicative varieties, Benanti also uses them to produce delightful rosé and traditional method sparkling wines.
Benanti offers a range of experiences to visitors, all including a guided tour of the vineyards and cellar followed by a wine tasting accompanied by locally sourced, Michelin-quality food pairings. Experiences start at €80 per person with the ‘Selezione Benanti’, a tasting of 5 of Benanti’s best wines paired with snacks. For an extra €40, you can upgrade to a full lunch. Benanti’s estate is both traditional and dazzlingly luxurious, so you may like to dress for the occasion.
2. Frank Cornelissen
Frank Cornelissen’s winery is located on the Northern side of Etna, nestled between the foot of the volcano and the fascinating lava-formed river of Alcantara. The northern valley considered Etna’s best region for producing Etna Rosso wines, it is a place for both remarkable reds and spectacular sights.
Frank Cornelissen’s approach to winemaking is all about letting Etna speak. Accepting that man cannot understand the full complexity of nature and its interactions, he does not try to exercise control over them, avoiding almost all treatments in both the vineyard and winery. The result is a range of wines that are bright and dynamic, with a true sense of place.
Frank is famed for his exceptional single vineyard Etna Rosso red wines made from 100% Nerello Mascalese: a noble variety which has been compared to both Pinot noir and Nebbiolo. These wines characterized best by the land on which they’re grown, Frank shows his imagination best through his other red, rosé, and white wines crafted through the blending of a wide spectrum of Sicilian native varieties.
One of Sicily’s best wineries to visit, Frank Cornelissen welcomes punters with a guided tour of the vineyard and cellar, followed by a tasting of four or five wines, with the range depending on the experience booked through his website. With a less commercial approach, the cellar door at Frank’s winery is really just a door to the cellar, rather than to a swanky, white-clothed tasting room. There’s no
need wear your best clothes or fragrance, in fact, Frank warns visitors not to wear perfume at all, so not to distract from the fantastic aromas bursting from the glasses poured.
3. Girolamo Russo
Just a three-minute walk from the cellar of Frank Cornelissen is that of Girolamo Russo, another of Sicily’s best wineries located in the Northern valley of Etna.
Girolamo’s early work on Etna reborn by his son, Giuseppe, in 2005, Girolamo Russo’s vineyards are now a mix of old bush-trained and younger trellis-trained vines, contributing to wines that are equally traditional and contemporary. Giuseppe managing his family estate organically, he pays respect to both its tradition and its land, giving them space to speak through the glass.
Girolamo Russo produces top-tier Etna Rosso wines from multiple pockets of Etna’s slopes, often blending Nerello Mascalese with a small percentage of Nerello Cappuccio, which offers a softness and aromas of cherry and rose to the wine. In addition, Girolamo Russo produces great Etna Bianco wines, pairing the fresh, citrusy, and high-acid Carricante with Cattaratto and other native varieties which contribute complexity. Girolamo Russo also produces a delectable 100% Nerello Mascalese rosé wine, perfect under the hot Sicilian sun.
Certainly one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit, Girolamo Russo are generous in their hospitality offerings, with all experiences including a guided tour of the vineyard and cellar, and a tasting accompanied by bread and olive oil produced on the estate. Visits start at €30 per person with the ‘Visit to Feudo’ experience including a tasting of five wines. For a more comprehensive tasting, Girolamo Russo offers the ‘Le Contrade’ and ‘The Etna According to Girolamo Russo’ experiences, including up to nine wines and a selection of local meats and cheeses.
4. Occhipinti
Occhipinti is the estate of phenom winemaker Arianna Occhipinti, found in the region of Vittoria in Sicily’s South-East. Specifically, Occhipinti is located in ‘Cerasuolo di Vittoria’, Sicily’s only winemaking region labelled as a DOCG, indicating its upmost quality. Here, the Sicilan native varieties Nero d’Avola and Frappato reign supreme.
Nero d’Avola produces bold, red wines with tonnes of body and tannin in synchrony with zippy acidity and luscious aromas of red and black fruit. Frappato, on the other hand, is light in body and tannin, with
a complex bouquet of red berries, pomegranate, and spice. In Vittoria, winemakers such as Arianna often play with blends of Nero d’Avola and Frappato to form red wines that are balanced, complex, and 100% Sicily.
With great respect for the island’s biodiversity, Occhipinti is another of the best wineries in Sicily managing things organically. In the cellar, Arianna continues her philosophy of minimal intervention, using wild yeasts for fermentation and adding just a tiny bit of preserving sulfur to the wines before bottling. All of them a mirror of where they’re produced, Arianna’s single variety Nero d’Avola and Frappato wines, as well as her red and white blends, are often referred to as a benchmark for both Sicilian and natural winemaking.
Visits to Occhipinti’s cellar can be reserved through their website or by phone (Arianna speaks exceptional English) and are available year-round. The Occhipinti experience is casual and homely, including a tour of the vineyard and cellar, a tasting of select wines, and an opportunity to try the olives, oils, and herbs (on top of bruschetta) also produced on the estate.
5. COS
Founded in 1980 by three friends including Arianna Occhipinti’s uncle, Giusto, COS is an acronym formed by the first letters of each of their surnames. As well as an acronym, COS is one of the best wineries in Sicily.
COS has planted vineyards widely throughout the chalk and red sand soils of Vittoria, producing a range of red and white wine styles from its multiple sub regions. Paying homage to the history of winemaking, COS employs ancient traditional techniques to produce its highly sought-after wines. These techniques include organic and biodynamic grape growing, as well as spontaneous fermentation (fermentation using wild yeasts already on the grape skins), often taking place in neutral clay vessels (called amphorae) buried in the ground.
The result of this work are wines that speak only of the land on which they’re made, rather than of any human interference. Within their range of 13 wines, you’ll find that more than half are Nero d’Avola, Frappato, or blends of the two. In addition, you’ll find crispy whites made from Italian natives Grecanico and Insolia, a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, a traditional method sparkling, and Muscat wines made in both a dry, orange style, and more traditionally as a sweet wine.
If you’re interested in visiting this refreshingly passionate winery during your time in Sicily, COS requests that you make a reservation over the phone. Tastings start at €30 per person and include a guided tour of their fascinating vineyards and cellar, followed by a tasting of both red and white wine. An amazingly beautiful piece of architecture, the COS winery is certainly a must-see, especially for those looking to return home with photos sure to make any wine or travel fan jealous.
6. Terre di Noto
A winery incredibly proud of the region they call home, Terre di Noto translates simply to “Lands of Noto”. Just North-East of Vittoria, Noto is a land of beautiful beaches, flamingo-filled wetlands and enchanting baroque art and architecture. It’s also a land of vines, with a diverse range of varieties planted throughout its gentle slopes, most importantly Nero d’Avola and Moscato Bianco (or white Muscat).
Terre di Noto’s winery has been a part of Noto since its founding in 1989. The man behind Terre di Noto is Nino Di Marco, striving through his work at the winery to express both Noto’s lands and the uniqueness of Sicilian native varieties through modern, technical winemaking. Certifying their vineyards as organic in 2018, Terre di Noto is another of the best wineries in Sicily joining the movement towards more sustainable winemaking.
In addition to single-variety Nero d’Avola red wines and Moscato Bianco whites made in both dry and semi-sweet styles, Terre di Noto produces a range of exciting cuvée (blended) wines. Merging Sicilian natives with popular international varieties, these blends include a Chardonnay/Muscat, a Chardonnay/Grillo/Insolia, two Nero d’Avola/Syrah/Merlot blends and luxurious prosecco-method sparkling wines made in both rosé and white styles.
Certainly one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit, Terre di Noto has a unique range of experiences to offer its guests, all at great prices. Tastings including a guided tour of the cellar and vineyards range between €25 and €50 per person, with the more expensive option being a unique opportunity to taste any four labels of your choice. In addition, Terre di Noto offers a picnic experience for just €30 per person, where you’re invited to stay nestled between the estate’s vines and olive trees for as long as you want, enjoying a bottle of Terre di Noto wine and a range of local delicacies hand-delivered in a basket.
7. Riofavara
Just down the road from Terre di Noto’s cellar, Riofavara offers the perfect opportunity for a double- header of winery visits in Noto. Riofavara is found on the outskirts of the town of Ispica, where a visit to the breathtaking baroque square and cathedral at the ‘Loggiato del Sinatra’ makes for a truly unforgettable Sicilan experience.
Founded by the Padova family in 1920, Riofavara is a product of more than 100 years of vine growing. Assured in 1993 that their estate was among the best vineyard land in the region, Riofavara has been producing wine under their own label ever since. Building a modern winery and converting their vineyard management to organic, Riofavara has quickly established themselves as one of the best wineries in Sicily, producing wines that pay respect to Sicily’s tradition, land, and typical varieties.
All crafted using Sicilian natives, Riofavara’s wines include Nero d’Avola reds and rosés, Moscato white wines made in dry, sweet, and sparkling styles, as well as a very special white cuvée formed with multiple varieties.
Known for their hospitality, Riofavara is definitely one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit, especially during the summer months in which you can book in for a tasting and dinner overlooking the Sicilian sunset. There aren’t many things more romantic than that! All year round, other tastings and tour experiences (including a vineyard picnic option) can be arranged through their website. Tastings start at €40 per person, including 5 wines.
8. Planeta
Planeta is one of the largest premium wine producers in Sicily, with its estate spread across five of the island’s best growing regions: Etna, Noto, Menfi, Vittoria, and Capo Milazzo. Helping to keep your itinerary flexible, Planeta offers hospitality experiences at three of their wineries, Etna, Noto, and Menfi. Home to their original winery established in the 1980s, Planeta’s Menfi estate is easily accessible from Palermo, just an hour’s drive to the South.
Planeta provides local and overseas wine lovers with an overarching impression of what Sicilian wine is, sharing through their wines a wide range of landscapes, soils, and climates. At the heart of their activity throughout all their properties lies the philosophy of environmental care.
Found in their range of sustainably produced wines from around the island are all matter of reds, whites, rosés, and sparkling wines crafted from Sicilian, Italian, and international varieties. With something for everyone, Planeta is one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit regardless of your personal preferences.
With more than 10 tasting experiences to choose from across their Etna, Noto, and Menfi wineries, your selection depends on where you are, your budget, and which region’s wines you’d most like to taste. Their most basic tasting options far from basic, they include a winery tour, four wines, three olive oils, snacks, and lunch! Experiences start at €55 per person and are a guaranteed win for a luxurious day out in Sicily.
9. Quattrocieli
Like Planeta’s original cellar in Menfi, Quattrocieli is located in the west of Sicily, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Palermo. Quattrocieli’s home is in Alcamo, a wine region of rolling hills which stretch gently towards the seaside town of ‘Castellammare del Golfo’. This town, whose name translates to English as “Sea Fortress on the Gulf”, is a place where beaches of golden sand are sheltered by the medieval stone walls which once protected the island.
Compared to many of Sicily’s wine regions steeped in history, Alcamo is relatively young. Quattrocieli was established only recently, in 2015. Founded by a brother and sister team, they strive to realize their father’s never captured dream: to produce a wine that could represent Sicily and its place in the world. So not to interrupt the relationship between this place and their wines, Quattrocieli manage their land 100% organically.
In Quattrocieli’s range of organic, sustainably produced wines you’ll find red, rosé, and white styles all produced using single varieties. These varieties include Alcamo’s prized white grape, Catarratto, the strikingly fragrant Insolia, the boisterous Nero d’Avola, as well as Syrah made in both a bold red and delicate rosé style.
Quattrocieli are playful with the experiences that they offer their visitors, with punters able to choose between a relaxing vineyard picnic experience, a tasting experience including the opportunity to cork and label your own bottle of Catarratto, or the ‘create your blend’ experience, where a winemaker guides you through the creation of your own cuveé. All experiences include a tour, Sicilian snacks, and start at just €30 per person.
10. Donnafugata
Donnafugata another of Sicily’s larger producers, they have five estates dotted throughout the region, in Marsala, Contessa Entellina, Etna, Vittoria, and Pantelleria. Donnafugata welcomes visitors to all these locations.
A winery that truly encapsulates the essence of Sicily, Donnafugata promotes through their wines a care for Sicily’s land, people, and culture. Just looking at Donnafugata’s beautiful labels bursting with color and depictions of ethereal feminine figures unbreakably connected with the earth, you’ll understand that Donnafugata is a winery with humble roots, but a grand vision to express them.
Donnafugata’s creative expression not limited to what’s on the outside of the bottle, you’ll find a diverse range of wine styles in Donnafugata’s catalogue, including sumptuous reds, refreshing whites, luxurious rosés, sparkling wines, and some of the best sweet wines in Italy. Made on Pantelleria, a small island to the South-West of Sicily’s mainland, Donnfugata’s globally renowned sweet wines are made with the luscious and sumptuously perfumed Zibibbo grape.
Hospitality is something that Donnafugata specializes in. Pick any one of their five locations and it will make the list of Sicily’s best wineries to visit. You’ll find on their website all the special experiences that they have to offer, from vineyard and cellar tours, to brunch, lunch and dinner tastings, to more unique tastings including the ‘under the stars’ experience on Pantelleria, and the ‘wine and music’ experience in Marsala.
11. Solidea
Solidea is located on the island of Pantelleria. As well as incredible wines and remarkable views of the Tunisian coast, Pantelleria offers some of the best swimming spots in the world. Cool off in the crystal- clear waters of the Mediterranean, or indulge in one of Pantelleria’s natural hot springs or thermal mud baths.
A small, family-run winery, Solidea farms just 4 hectares of vines on the island, most of which are Pantelleria’s prized variety: Zibibbo (known in English as Muscat of Alexandria). Pantelleria and Zibibbo as familiar to the husband-and-wife team at Solidea as are the backs of their hands, they offer some of the world’s best examples of this incredible grape variety in multiple wine styles.
Solidea are most famed for their ‘Passito di Pantelleria’, a sweet wine made traditionally by sun drying Zibibbo grapes in order to concentrate their sugars, as well as their vibrant aromas of orange marmalade, raisin, and nuts. In addition to sweet wines, you’ll find in Solidea’s catalogue dry red and white wines
including ‘Ìlios Bianco’ a lively and refreshing Zibibbo white wine bursting with tropical fruit and floral aromas.
Truly experts at what they do, Solidea are one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit, offering their visitors a unique look into Sicilian winemaking of the past. Solidea’s cellar is open only during the summer months, when they welcome visitors for authentic and intimate tasting experiences priced at just €25 per person. The visit includes a cellar tour, delicious homemade snacks, and a tasting of four wines, including a ‘Passito di Pantelleria’.
12. Marco De Bartoli
Marco De Bartoli is named after the man who founded it in the 1980s. A boisterous man passionate about Sicilian grape varieties and traditional winemaking methods, Marco De Bartoli is now succeeded by his three children, all of which have a hand in the winery’s current operations.
Marco De Bartoli, the winery, has cellars in both Marsala and Pantelleria. Marsala known best for fortified wines derived from a blend of white varities, and Pantelleria known best for sweet wines made from Zibibbo, Marco De Bartoli challenges these expectations with the creative use of a small range of Sicilian native varieties.
Marco De Bartoli respecting the age-old traditions proven to work in the creation of exceptional wines, they are proud custodians of historical techniques such as the ‘Solera’ stacked barrel system for fortified wine ageing famously invented by the Spaniards for Sherry creation; a sight to behold!
In Marco De Bartoli’s catalogue you’ll find fortified wines, traditional method sparkling wines, and expressive dry table wines made from 100% Marsala Grillo, red wines and sparkling rosé wines made from 100% Pignatello, and Pantelleria wines made from 100% Zibibbo in both lusciously sweet and dry aromatic styles.
A 100% Marco De Bartoli experience can be arranged at either their Marsala or Pantelleria location, depending on whether you prefer to stay on the mainland, or adventure to the island of sweet wine via ferry or flight. Either way, Marco De Bartoli is with no doubt one of the best wineries in Sicily to visit, with a guided vineyard and cellar tour included at both locations, followed by a casual tasting of at least four wines. Tastings starting at just €15 per person, they offer some of the best ‘bang for buck’ found anywhere on the island.
Other Things to do in Sicily
So, there you have it: the 12 best wineries in Sicily to visit in 2024. By including any of them in the itinerary of your own Sicilian adventure, maybe you’ll be moved to pen your own love poems dedicated to this island of romance, or maybe you’d prefer to leave that to the French.
And, if you need recommendations for other things to do in Sicily, I’ve got you covered! While I had a blast enjoying all of the wineries in Sicily, there are many other incredible things to explore on this island, such as Mount Etna and Syracuse.
