Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, has attracted conquerors as well as lovers for ages. The island has a unique, rich culture made up from its many past invaders. Sicily is scattered with ancient Greek temples, Norman cathedrals, Arab design and Spanish architecture. The interesting history and culture of the island, once said to be the ‘Manhattan’ or the ‘heart’ of the Mediterranean, is what has attracted tourists from around the world for many years. Now there is a new reason to visit the island: to experience the wine and food. Sicily’s climate is ideal for growing wine grapes and there are several unique grapes native to the region, such as the Nero d’Avola and Inzolia, that make the Sicilian wine culture so exciting and different.

For the twenty-first century Sicily is replacing industrial quantity wine making with a new focus: high quality wines for a relatively good value that are both modern, yet distinctly Sicilian. Sicilian Wine production is enormous, peaking at over 10 million hectoliters per year, the biggest of any Italian region, with white wine around two - thirds of the total. This beautiful island has all the ingredients to make very fine wine: first, there’s a long growing season with low winter rainfall and intense summer heat. Second, the island is somewhat mountainous, so vineyards at higher altitudes enjoy cool nights with relief from the blistering summer sun. Apart from the native grapes, international varieties have been introduced also, such as chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, and even pinot noir.These international wines have attracted a big public, raising the profile of Sicilian wines so that it’s today radically different to that of just twenty years ago.

In this way Sicily has shown it has the “territorio” expertise and investment needed to shake off the old rustic image. Because of the success of the New World – style wines, the mid 1990s saw many large, local wineries invest heavily in quality instead of quantity. The vineyards and wineries are located all over the island: inland in the hills or on Etna (the volcano), or out by the sea.

All are easily reachable and suitable for accepting visitors, tourists and lovers from all over the world.