($11, Prestige Wine Imports): Stemmari works wonders with indigenous Sicilian varieties, such as Grillo.  This one delivers an emblematic, ever so slightly bitter, saline component that makes it a delightful match for hearty seafood, perhaps in a tomato-based sauce, but less useful as a stand-alone aperitif. … Read more

($12, Middleton Family Wines): Vento di Mare continues their streak of bargain-priced wines with this Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s iconic red grape.  Similar to its Grillo and Pinot Grigio made from organic grapes, this Nero d’Avola delivers surprising complexity, both fruity and savory notes, for such a modest price. … Read more

($12, Middleton Family Wines): As with their Pinot Grigio, Vento di Mare produces two wines, one from organic and one from conventional grapes, from Grillo, an indigenous Sicilian grape.  This Grillo, from organic grapes, is slightly richer with a better texture and complexity compared to the one made from conventionally grown grapes. … Read more

($12, Middleton Family Wines): Vento di Mare produces two Pinot Grigios in Sicily — this one made from organically grown grapes, and one made from conventionally grown grapes.  They’re very different wines.  This one, from organically grown grapes, is slightly less floral, less fruity, leaner and more angular. … Read more

($10, Prestige Wine Imports): Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s “red grape,” has the ability to deliver both fruity and savory notes simultaneously even when young, as it does in this wine.  Stemmari’s delivers savory nuances of herbs and olives, which make a lovely counterpoint to the bright red fruit elements. … Read more

($10, Prestige Wine Imports): Inexpensive rosés are popping up all over — like mushrooms after a rain — in response to enormous consumer demand for the pink drink.  Consumers need care in choosing because many of these “value” wines turn out to be no value at all, which makes this one from Sicily all the more enjoyable. … Read more

($40, Montcalm Wine Imports): The more I taste wines grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, the more I like them because they have a Burgundian sensibility about them — what I call flavor without weight.  This wine, a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, the two grapes typically grown on Etna, is both fragrant and mineraly.… Read more

($100, Cru Artisan): I can see the rolling eyes.  A hundred bucks for an unknown wine from, where?  Sicily?  Yes.  I can’t pretend to know how people should spend their money on wine.  But what I can tell you is that this is a special wine, delivering the ethereal Burgundian combination of flavor without weight. … Read more

($34): COS, one of the top producers in Sicily, works magic with Nero d’Avola and Frappato, two of the island’s indigenous red grapes.  Their Pithos, a equal blend of the two grapes, is a firm, but not hard, wine that delivers lovely combination of dark cherry notes and savory earthy ones. … Read more

($60): COS (the name comes from the initials of the three founders’ last names: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano) is one of Sicily’s best and most innovative producers.  Cerasuolo di Vittoria, a red wine made from Frappato and Nero d’Avola, two grapes unique to Sicily, is that island’s only wine awarded DOCG status, Italy’s highest ranking, by the Italian government. … Read more

($17, Folio Fine Wine Partners): Vibrancy is one of the surprising characteristics about wines from Sicily, a Mediterranean island where you’d think the heat would produce very ripe grapes lacking in acidity.  It’s certainly not the case with the wines from Donnafugata, one of island’s leading producers. … Read more

($24): At first glance, Sicily seems too hot to grow grapes for top quality wines.  Indeed, it’s the mountains there that supply the needed elevation to keep the grapes cool as they ripen and that explain why Sicily is home to some fabulous wines, such as this one. … Read more

($13, Soilair Selections): For those in need of a last minute recommendation for a Thanksgiving white, here it is.  Made from mostly (80%) Carricante, an indigenous Sicilian white grape, it delivers a hint of peach-like notes without being sweet.  Indeed, there’s an alluring bitter nuance in the finish along with the signature Italian bracing acidity. … Read more

($15, Soilair Selections): Nero d’Avola, a grape indigenous to Sicily, has the potential to set the wine world on fire because it is capable of delivering both fruity and earthy flavors when young — as in this rendition.  Herbal aromas complement the black-fruited flavors in the mid-weight wine. … Read more

($22, Palm Bay International): Using both international and indigenous grapes, Planeta, a visionary producer, is showing the world that high-quality wine comes from Sicily, the island that not long ago had a reputation for quantity over quality.   This Moscato di Noto, another surprise from this talented producer, captures your attention with the first aromatic whiff. … Read more

($22, Palm Bay International): Planeta has made an utterly charming wine entirely from Frappato, a grape more often blended with Nero d’Avola for Sicily’s DOCG wine, Cerasuolo di Vittoria.   As a stand-alone, Planeta’s Frappato is a light to mid-weight juicy red-fruited wine with an alluring hint of smokiness and a faint — and welcome — bitterness in the finish. … Read more

($42, Palm Bay International): Planeta considers Santa Cecilia, made exclusively from Nero d’Avola at its Noto estate, one of its six wineries spread over the island, to be its flagship red wine.  I’ve always loved the Santa Cecilia because of the complexity it shows and enjoyment it delivers when young.… Read more

($24, Palm Bay International): Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of Sicily’s two DOCG wines (along with Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico), is a blend of two indigenous grapes, Frappato and Nero d’Avola.  Francesca Planeta considers Cerasuolo di Vittoria Sicily’s “Pinot Noir.”  Planeta’s 2011, fragrant, pure and precise, focuses on the fruitiness of the blend. … Read more

($33, Palm Bay International): Though Planeta is a Sicilian producer — and a great one at that — they trumpet the idea that Sicily has many different terroirs.  Just as we no longer refer to “Chinese” food given the diversity of flavors coming from that country, people should stop thinking of “Sicilian” wine. … Read more

($23, Palm Bay International): Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only wine to be awarded the DOCG status, is a blend of two indigenous grapes, Nero d’Avola and Frappato.  Planeta’s 2011 begs for springtime with its fresh cherry-like aromas and taste.  The paucity of tannins in this charming red makes it perfect for chilling and a more substantial alternative to rosé when the weather and the food call for one.… Read more