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Sicily: Whites Wines of Interest

Written By: Dylan York on Friday, February 22, 2008

Sicily is a historic wine region with many classic varietals.

Today I finished my research on the wines of Sicily and now it's time to dive into their white wines. After taking over forty pages of notes on all of the growing regions: 1 DOCG, 23 DOCs and 8 IGTs, I found that some of the best wines are produced under the IGT Sicilia designation. This was not a huge discovery seeing that pretty much all of the Sicilian wines that I have ever enjoyed have been IGT designated. Sicily seems to be in the middle of a transformation period because the IGT wines are demanding prices far greater than the DOC and DOCG wines. I would be willing to bet that we will see more DOC wines for Sicily in the future. Until then, no matter what the acronym may be, there are great wines to be consumed. Let's start by identifying some of the major white varietals.

Sicily is host to a wide array of indigenous and international varieties of white grapes. Viticulture began on the island in the 8th century BC and since then the island has proven that it can produce top quality wines from a wide range of varieties.

Note: Some varieties are called different names depending on the area where they are grown.

The majority of white wines you will encounter are as followed: Inzolia or Ansonica, Carricante, Catarratto, Grecanico, and Grillo. There are also small amounts of Fiano, Trebbiano, Viognier and Pinot Bianco grown here, as well as modern varieties such and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc or Sauvignon.

Quality areas such as Contessa Entellina DOC, produce very fine wines from both Inzolia (Ansonica) and Chardonnay varieties. Try the 2006 Donnafugata Vigna di Gabri, made with 100% Inzolia (Ansonica), to experience the deep, aromatic and mineral characteristics of Inzolia.

The Etna DOC, situated on the slopes of Mt. Etna, was the first area to qualify for DOC-status in Sicily. This area is known for there Etna Bianco Superiore, a wine made from at least 60% Carricante. Vinicola Benanti makes a great wine from this region called Pietramarina, which is 100% Carricante. Because of the volcanic soil of the region, the wine is crisp, dry and aromatically driven.

I would have to say that most of the exciting white wines of Sicily fall under the IGT Sicilia designation. Wineries like Donnafugata and Planeta produce incredible blends of indigenous and international varieties that are among the best in Italy, next to Silvio Jermann in Friuli of course. I recommend the 2006 Donnafugato Anthilia, a 50/50 blend of Inzolia and Catarratto. This wine has a small cult following and is quite tasty.

Planeta is one of the best producers for Sicilian whites and reds so I have to mention the 2005 Cometa, 100% Fiano, again because it is one of my favorites. (Check out my blog titled 3-Course Tasting Menu for tasting/pairing notes). They also produce one of my favorite chardonnays, which in my opinion, is the Corton Charlemagne of Sicily.

Sicily also produces some great desert wines that I will tell you about next time. Enjoy Tasting!

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Wines Featured In Sicily: Whites Wines of Interest

Donnafugata 2006 (anthilia)

  

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  Be the first to comment on this article


ikigai108
Bernville, PA
Posted on 2/22/08

It's a good article too, but that's more of an afterthought.


ikigai108
Bernville, PA
Posted on 2/22/08

Is that what grape pickers look like? If so, I'm in the wrong business.

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