Sicily wine maps1/1/2024 ![]() ![]() Olive oil is of course one of the staples of Italian cuisine and today we visit one of the foremost producers in the South-East of the island, based in an eighteenth-century famhouse. Once upon a time, this was a bustling tuna processing factory, but today we can have lunch in the picturesque central piazza.Īfter lunch we return to our agriturismo, calling at the nature reserve of Vendicari – where, if we are lucky, we will catch sight of flamingoes – and the Roman Villa of Tellaro. In the late morning, we depart for the small fishing village of Marzamemi – made famous as a frequently-used location in the Montalbano television series. We spend a pleasant couple of hours roaming the streets visitng the churches and perhaps enjoying an ice-cream. Now inserted in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites, the town has become one of the star attractions in the South East of Sicily. Built entirely after the earthquake of 1693, the architecture of the town has a homogeneity not found anywhere else in Sicily. We begin with a visit to the beautiful Baroque town of Noto. Wine-tasting at Buonivini Full itineraryĮvening meal and overnight in our agriturismo. So what better excuse than to enjoy the wonderful Sicilian gastronomy? On our Sicilian gastronomy tours we have carefully selected a variety of menus to accompany our wines, and, during the day, we will also go out of our way to taste some of our favourite local specialities. With such a deep historical tradition, it is not surprising that Sicily is one of the largest wine producing areas in Italy and home to some of their very finest wines.Īnd of course, the whole purpose of wine is to “wash down food”. ![]() Thankfully however, with greater investment and marketing in recent years, the Sicilian wine-trade has now been reversed and we are able to enjoy some absolutely world-class wines. Then in the late-eighteenth century, a British wine merchant, John Woodhouse, introduced the Spanish and Portuguese methods to Marsala and subsequently supplied wine to Nelson’s navy, making him one of the most successful entrepreneurs on the island.īut the late 19th century phyllloxera blight, followed by a total neglect for quality after the second world war, risked pushing Sicilian wines off the world wine map. It was a period in which Sicilian wines were exported to Rome, Liguria, Venice and Tuscany and played an important role in shaping European palates. The heyday of Sicilian wine-making began in the 13th century and lasted for some 200 years. Then in 1100, Roger de Hautville founded the Abbazia Sant’Anastacia winery near Cefalù, which is still producing wine to this day. Wine-making techniques were refined by the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans and the famous Mamertino wine from Sicily was said to be a favourite of Julius Caesar.Įven the Arabs, who as Muslims did not drink the wine, contributed to the evolution of wine-making on Sicily. Legend has it that the first grapevine sprang from under the foot of Dionysus, whirling in a frenzied dance on the foothills of Mount Etna, and indeed archaeologists confirm that the first wines on Sicily were almost certainly autochthonous.
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