Sicily Wine

Sicily is well known as a wine producer but the quality of the wines has always been considered of lower quality than some of its mainland counterparts. Nevertheless there are some very good Sicilian wines such as the famous Marsala dessert wine.

Marsala derives from the city of the same name on the western coast of Sicily and was first made by the Woodhouse firm in 1796. The wine is fortified with an alcohol content of around 20%.

There are three different types of Marsala today: oro (golden), ambra (amber), and rubino (ruby). There are both sweet and dry types, and various categories of the wine: 'Fine' is aged for a minimum of one year, 'Superiore' is aged for a minimum of two years (some producers age it for three years), 'Superiore Riserva' (or 'Riserva') is a vintage wine aged in wood from four to six years; "Vergine" is aged in wood for a minimum of five years (or even in small oak casks for up to seven years).

Only a few Sicilian wines have the denomination of origin (D.O. or D.O.C.). This includes Marsala, Moscatos and Malvasias. It also includes some Alcamo, Damaschino or Grecanico, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Etna Whites, and Etna Reds and roses.

Wines worth trying are Etna (red, rose or white from the cliffs of Etna), Cerasuolo (out of Vittoria, a stronger white or red), Donnafugate (a fruitier white wine), Bianco di Alcamo (from Trapani), and Malvasia di Lipari (produced in Salina).

Besides wine there is also the famous Sicilian lime liquer called Limoncello.

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