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A Little Sicily

Sicilians are extremely fond of quoting their most famous author, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, who wrote that if things are to stay as they are, then something has to change. No saying better sums up the region’s current wine industry.

Sicilian wine is changing – fast. Yet the protective parochialism around its indigenous grape varieties and quirky wine styles is stauncher than any stereotype you could use to describe this spectacular southern Italian island.

Like all of Italy, Sicily is full of surprises. But perhaps its best-kept secret is the diversity of grapes grown here. In an age when most of the wine and food that we consume comes from corporations peddling mass-produced consumables, Italy goes against the grain of globalisation – and that runs right down to its weird and wonderful indigenous grape varieties.

Rather than allowing themselves to be overtaken by foreigners, Sicilian producers are reviving almost forgotten grape varieties (alicante, ciliegiolo, nerello mascalese, to name a few), reinvigorating their wine-producing regions (Marsala, Pantelleria), and experimenting with oak from areas they have never before tried (North America and Eastern Europe). They have also scaled back volume since the 1990s, when together with Puglia they ranked as the most prolific producers in the country, to focus more on quality.

Considering its ancient viticultural history – wine has been made on the island since the Greeks settled it in the 8th century BC – Sicily is emerging as a surprisingly adventurous winemaking part of the world. Today the grapes Sicilian wine is made from, the yeasts with which it is fermented, even the oak in which it is aged, are all developing faster than you can unscrew a bottle of nero d’Avola, learn how to pronounce nerello mascalese or track down the greatest grillo. Working out of vineyards sited in classic Mediterranean terroirs – meagre soils, minimal rainfall (some 50 per cent of the island’s vineyards are irrigated), abundant sunshine – Sicily’s winemakers are now allowing in a smidgin of syrah, a minute amount of merlot and even a quantity of the control freak that is cabernet sauvignon. The key is that they only use a little of these outsiders in their wines. As long as these infiltrators add some body, a hint of roundness or something else that enhances the traditional Sicilian grapes, they are permitted.

Okay, you can find Sicilian examples of stand-alone varietals such as syrah, cabernet sauvignon and even, for some unfathomable reason, müller-thurgau. But the island’s quality wine producers put their own grapes first, both on the labels and in the bottles. Sicilian winemakers are nothing if not fiercely proud of their own grapes and wine styles. Hence, nero d’Avola, catarrato, grecanico, grillo, inzolia and, increasingly and controversially, nerello mascalese will always dominate the growing number of high-quality, modern Sicilian table wines.

Is nerello mascalese, which is finding new depths of flavour on the slopes of Mount Etna, going to become as revered as Barolo and as copied as red Burgundy one day – or is it destined to be little more than a pleasant distraction? It all depends on which Sicilian you speak with, but it is being used widely around the island.

Exploring the north-western corner of Sicily is a good way to experience some of the broad vinous experiences that the island has to offer. The distances – which can be deceptively large on Sicily – are manageable, and the area is home to several notable producers as well as the famous region of Marsala, the fortified wines of which propped up the British Navy in the 18th century.

Here, too, change is afoot, with producers shifting the emphasis from the sweet wines of old to red and white table wines of increasingly high quality. Not that the winemakers have forgotten the region’s traditional sweet wines entirely. One of the largest and most forward-looking wineries in Marsala is Carlo Pellegrino, which last year made 8 million bottles of wine – 20 per cent of which was Marsala. Like most of the region’s wineries, its Marsala production is shrinking by the day. Pellegrino export director Massimo Bellina wants to see that decline continue: “I don’t want to say that Marsala [wine] is not good, but the region and the wine have not exactly had a good reputation in the world because of the many mistakes made in the past. We should rebuild the image of this wine and then we should talk about shrinking the area and converting the DOC into a DOCG.”

Among those mistakes were egg yolks, almonds and a host of unmentionable additions which were used in Marsala widely until the mid-1980s. “Marsala fits into the same category as sherry and port, but the latter two have preserved their image,” laments Bellina. “In the future, we need to make Marsala that is of high quality.”

While working away on this goal, the Carlo Pellegrino winery has quietly achieved a turnaround in the flagging fortunes of Passito di Pantelleria. This unforgettably aromatic DOC dessert wine comes from the island of Pantelleria – which is a half-hour plane ride south from Trapani in north-west Sicily, making it slightly closer to Tunisia than Italy. Hot and highly cultivated in grapevines, olives, capers and fruit, Pantelleria produces wine that could be compared with its architecture – there’s just one kind.

Passito di Pantelleria was losing ground, literally (in plantings), until a new winery was constructed on the island in 1992 by Pietro Alagna, president of Carlo Pellegrino. Varietally, the wine is zibibbo (muscat of Alexandria), and its success, thanks to the efforts of Pellegrino, has breathed new life into the island’s wine industry, resulting in grape prices that have risen 10 to 15 times, according to Bellina.

Of the few thousand people living on Pantelleria, however, few have traditionally derived their primary income from the winery, with most producers having employed the time-honoured tradition of drying grapes on mats under the sun. This opens up the wines to any number of bacterial diseases, which accounts for the relatively low and highly variable quality of Passito di Pantelleria in the past. But now that there are a couple of wineries on Pantelleria drying grapes in modern, controlled conditions indoors, the quality and quantity of the island’s signature wine is rising every year.

Back on Sicily, in Marsala, new wineries are also springing up – and they are not small. In 2002, the new Duca di Castelmonte was constructed to focus solely on table wines. While it has the capacity to expand, another winery under this same banner is already in the planning phase. Its aim? To take Sicilian table wine to a new level of quality. It all points to a change in the air in north-western Sicily, and the region’s wines are tasting all the better for it.

Wineries To Visit
At 25,706 square kilometres, Sicily is Italy’s largest region and can be a daunting prospect for those wanting to embark on a wine drive. The journey between each cellar door, coupled with the fact that most wineries are production- rather than visitor-focused, means they are not strongly geared up for tourists, although this is undoubtedly changing – especially in Marsala. Winter is the least favourable time of year to visit, but whenever you go, you can expect the usual Italian friendliness, Sicilian-style, as well as wines of a surprisingly high quality, generally made from grapes you haven’t heard of but sometimes blended with a couple that you do know.

The following wineries are among the most welcoming, and all are located in north-western corner of the island.

Carlo Pellegrino
For one of the  largest wineries in the Marsala region, Carlo Pellegrino has a surprisingly small cellar door, situated in the vast square courtyard of the home winery on Via del Fante. The location is marked by the tall, historic towers, once silos full of wine but now converted stylishly into offices, tasting rooms, a reception area, a large kitchen and a restaurant for the winery’s annual food festival held in October (see page 95). Despite the tiny size of the cellar door and tasting facility, charm persists here – especially in the cellars. Plan ahead so that you can take a tour around extremely old barrel halls full of historic Sicilian wine relics. The extensive new winery, Duca di Castelmonte, is located several kilometres away and, to date, is a working facility rather than one set up for visitors.
Via del Fante 39, 91025 Marsala, 0923 719911, www.carlopellegrino.it.

Duca di Salaparuta
A 15-kilometre drive south-east from the stunningly beautiful capital of Palermo takes you to the most visitor-friendly of western Sicilian wineries. Music, sport and arts events are big on the agenda at this vast estate. You can watch the wine being made, but so much more enjoyable is a hedonistic tasting of these quintessentially modern wines. The Terre D’Agala is a blend of nerello mascalese with merlot (10 per cent). Or check out the Brut Riserva, made mostly from the indigenous grecanico, with a dollop of chardonnay thrown in for good measure. The Passo delle Mule is 100 per cent nero d’Avola, delicious and, like so many Sicilian wines, extraordinarily good value.
Strada Nazionale S S 113, Casteldaccia, Palermo, 091 945021, www.duca.it.

Cantine Florio
Along the pretty, sunny north-west coastal strip of Trapani you can check out more than 200 years worth of winemaking, and some of the region’s best Marsalas and sweet wines, at Cantine Florio, another winery well geared up for tourist traffic. This is a massive operation – 5 million litres of Marsala are still produced here as well as some of the best Moscato di Pantelleria. There’s also a stunning collection of vinous art through the ages; an art deco theme permeates the styling. The focus is on traditional wine, but produced with a modern, no-holds-barred approach to quality.
Via Vincenzo Florio 1, Trapani, Marsala, 0923 781111, www.cantineflorio.it.

Cantina Firriato
Of all the wineries you can visit in the Marsala region, this vinous baby is one of the most dynamic. Established just 25 years ago in Paceco, 4 kilometres from Trapani, it’s now a big exporter of high-quality Sicilian table wine – not to mention a top spot to try some of Italy’s most exciting new-wave wines. Key among these is the Etna Rosso (nerello mascalese and nerello capuccio), the Harmonium and the Chiaramonte, both made entirely from nero d’Avola, and a range of quirky whites. And just to prove the point that Sicilian winemakers are modern in their outlook, there are a couple of wines made entirely from French grape varieties. Tasting wine here is as futuristic as the island’s wine scene gets, making it extremely fun to visit.
Via Trapani, 4, Paceco, Trapani, Marsala, 0923 882755, www.firriato.it.

Wines To Try
2006 Dinari del Duca Grillo Sicilia, NZ$15
Here’s a wine to turn your preconceptions about Italian whites on their head. Grillo, also known as riddu, not only has the ability to withstand high temperatures during its growing process, it retains zingy acids that give it a desirable edginess. Often blended, grillo’s innate freshness and savoury flavours really shine when it’s a stand-alone varietal.

2005 Lamura Nero d’Avola, NZ$15
How much flavour can you expect from a red wine at this near rock bottom price? When it comes to nero d’Avola (the black grape of Avola, a town in eastern Sicily, and the island’s most widely planted variety), the answer is far more than you might expect. Sealed with a screwcap and from a good vintage, the 1995 Lamura may be made in big volumes, but it is exactly the type of spicy, soft-tannined Mediterranean red that shows the promise of modern Sicilian vino. The palate is fresh, clean, fruit driven and dry.

2004 Duca di Castelmonte Tripudium Rosso, NZ$30
Three grapes intermingle to make a whole that is far greater than any of its parts. Savoury syrah leads, cabernet sauvignon adds bright acidity and nero d’Avola contributes complex layers that keep you guessing as to just which grape it is that makes this wine so invitingly interesting but so hard to pin down.

2003 Canaletto Nero d’Avola Merlot, NZ$20
It’s not only the body that’s massive when it comes to this big, soft Sicilian red. A substantial 70,000 cases are made each year on the island by the northern Italian winery Casa Girelli. A blend of nero d’Avola and merlot grapes grown between the towns of Gela and Vittoria in southern Sicily, this wine speaks volumes about the quality of modern southern Italian reds.

2004 Piccini Sicilian Merlot Syrah, NZ$18
One of the largest Chianti producers in Tuscany, the family-owned Piccini winery, is also making major inroads into the Sicilian wine scene, occasionally to the chagrin of some locals, who would rather vinify their indigenous grapes themselves. This full-bodied blend of merlot and syrah will only give Sicily’s overall wine image a boost. Low in price it may be, but it is nevertheless high powered in flavour and body and shows good length.

2005 Duca Di Castelmonte Fiorile Rosso, NZ$20 (magnum)
This quirky blend of Sicily’s nerello mascalese and calabrese with Tuscany’s sangiovese is a smooth, fruit-led style that also boasts earthy appeal. That’s not to say it’s an old-fashioned Italian red, by any stretch – it’s exactly the type of wine that shows the changing face of Sicily. Get it in a good vintage and you’re really buying a bargain.

2003 Carlo Pellegrino Moscato di Pantelleria, NZ$35
Warm, dry and exotic – and that’s just the island of Pantelleria. This moscato is lighter than the island’s most famous wine, passito, but walks that same seductive tightrope of intense, aromatic flavours with a light body, before coming back with a lingering finish.

Where To Eat
Even the simplest Sicilian meal is more than a one-course affair. Antipasti include the usual Italian delicacies of prosciutto and salami, made from almost every type of meat imaginable (try the duck prosciutto). Other southern favourites include arancine (rice balls), deep-fried chickpea fritters and miniature Sicilian pizze, sans cheese. Then there’s the primo piatto or rice dish – or two – not to mention dessert. Sweets are often bite-sized morsels based on pistachio and almonds, and taste great with grappa, Marsala or Moscato di Pantelleria. The grappa from Pantelleria is extremely full-on, leaving you in definite need of an espresso.

Bacco’s
If it’s not the elevated view over the Mediterranean from Bacco’s balcony, the meltingly tender calamari or the warm, fresh ricotta cheese, then the outstanding Sicilian pasta with sardines and fennel will lure you back here time after time. From its terrace to its dark interior, Bacco’s is stunning.
Via Trieste 5, 91025 Marsala, 0923 737262, www.baccos.it.

Pizzeria C’Era Una Volta
As you might expect, pizzerias are in no short supply in Marsala, but every Italian has their favourite. This is big with the locals for its two types of pizza, with fresh buffalo mozzarella or without. Both are great. Another must-try is the deep-fried chickpea entrée – leave it to the Italians to come up with a healthier, tastier version of a deep-fried, salty chip.
Viale Fazio 28, 91025 Marsala, 0923 953756.

Baglio Dei Mille
Among the delicious dishes at this relaxed waterfront venue are calamari at least five different ways, octopus salad and lightly battered cauliflower. Check out the wine store next door after lunch for a souvenir drop and a wide-ranging selection of mostly Sicilian wine.
Via Boeo 36, 91025 Marsala, 0923 722207, www.bagliodeimille.com.

Monte San Giuliano
If its churches and utterly mouth-watering Pasticceria Grammatico weren’t enough to commend the hillside town of Erice to you, this restaurant certainly is. Monte San Giuliano is open for lunch and dinner and locals agree on their favourite dishes: the couscous and the stuffed eggplant rolls. The town’s iconic pastry shop, owned by Maria Grammatico, is next door; walk off the calories around the cobbled streets of this eerily quiet but enchanting old town.
Vicolo San Rocco 7, Erice, 0923 869595, www.montesangiuliano.it.

Where To Stay
Hotel Carmine
Small definitely means beautiful at this luxurious, 28-bedroom hotel in the old town centre of Marsala. Breakfast is a delicious range of freshly baked “brioche” (the Italian term for fresh croissants, pastries and cakes) – as well as traditional breakfast food. Piazza Carmine is such a quiet square, and the rooms here are so comfortable, that a good sleep is guaranteed.
Piazza Carmine, 91025 Marsala, 0923 711907, www.hotelcarmine.it.

Kempinski Hotel
This refined resort is so well integrated into the rustic landscape of Mazara city that you can pass within a street of it without realising it was there. There are 91 guestrooms, including 13 suites, and a couple of swimming pools, while a meticulously landscaped 10-hectare park is just minutes away.
Giardino di Costanza Via Salemi, 91026 Mazara del Vallo, 0923 675000, www.kempinski-sicily.com.

Crystal Hotel
This is a good option for those flying into Trapani on the north-western point of Sicily. It’s a modern hotel, catering mostly to businesspeople, whose needs include more than just the usual mod cons. The hotel offers a high level of comfort, and there are a couple of suites should you require extra space and luxury. There’s also a vast botanic garden nearby if you feel the need for an injection of greenery. 
Piazza Umberto 1, Trapani, 0923 20000, www.nh-hotels.com.

WORDS JOELLE THOMSON  PHOTOGRAPHY SICILY TOURISM

This article appeared in the April/May 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.