Top 10 Wineries in Sicily and Etna
For most of the 20th century, Sicily exported bulk wine in tanker trucks. Since the 1990s, a small group of growers has turned the island into one of Italy's most exciting fine-wine regions. Two centres drive the renaissance: Mount Etna in the east, where black volcanic soils and old-vine Nerello Mascalese produce wines often compared to Burgundy; and the western coast, where Nero d'Avola, Frappato, and Carricante express a sun-drenched but increasingly elegant character.
Tasca d'Almerita
The grand old name of Sicilian wine. The Regaleali estate in the island's interior pioneered estate bottling in Sicily in the 1950s, and the family now operates additional estates on Etna, Salina, Mozia, and Capofaro. The Rosso del Conte is the flagship.
Planeta
Founded by the Planeta family in the 1990s, with vineyards across five Sicilian zones (Menfi, Vittoria, Etna, Noto, and Capo Milazzo). Planeta's modern style brought Sicilian wine onto export markets internationally. The Cometa Fiano is a benchmark Sicilian white.
Donnafugata
A Marsala-based estate that has built a reputation for Nero d'Avola and innovative blends. The Mille e Una Notte is the prestige cuvée; the Sedàra is a reliable everyday Nero d'Avola.
Benanti
Pioneer of the Etna renaissance. The family planted Nerello Mascalese at high altitude on the volcano's north slope and demonstrated that ancient pre-phylloxera vines could produce world-class wine. The Pietra Marina (Carricante) is one of Italy's greatest whites.
Passopisciaro
Andrea Franchetti's Etna estate, founded in 2000. The single-contrada bottlings (Porcaria, Chiappemacine, Sciaranuova, Rampante, Guardiola) made the contrada concept famous and shaped how the appellation now describes itself.
Frank Cornelissen
Belgian-born Frank Cornelissen settled on the northern slope of Etna in 2001 to make natural wines from old-vine Nerello Mascalese on terraced lava. The Magma is one of the most sought-after natural wines in Europe; the MunJebel is more accessible.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Marc de Grazia, an Italian-American wine importer, founded the estate on Etna's north slope in 2002. The single-contrada wines were among the first to be exported widely. The Calderara Sottana is the standard-bearer.
Cos
A Vittoria estate co-founded by Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano, and Giusto Occhipinti in 1980. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria (a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato) is one of Sicily's most distinctive appellations, and Cos's amphora-aged versions are among the most admired natural wines on the island.
Arianna Occhipinti
Arianna Occhipinti, niece of Cos co-founder Giusto Occhipinti, founded her own estate near Vittoria in 2004. The Frappato is one of Sicily's most beloved expressions of the variety; the SP68 (Frappato-Nero d'Avola) has built a global cult.
Graci
Alberto Graci's Etna estate, on the north slope, makes single-contrada wines (Arcurìa, Feudo di Mezzo, Barbabecchi) that demonstrate the precision and elegance of high-altitude Nerello Mascalese. The Quota 600 and Quota 1000 reds explore the altitude dimension explicitly.
Visiting Sicily
The island is large and the wine regions distant from one another; Etna alone deserves several days. Estates in Catania, Ragusa, Trapani, and Agrigento provinces all welcome visitors with prior booking. Find them on the interactive map — filter to Sicily.