Sipping in Sicily

By Alice Feiring

While Sicilian winemakers have recently taken a shine to trendier Merlots and Cabernets, it's the ancient grapes--those that were first planted 4,000 years ago by the Greeks--that produce some of the finest wines in the region.

These lesser-known delights, such as Ansonica, Catarratto and Grillo (whites) and Nera d'Avola, Frappato and Nerello Mascalese (reds), can produce little-known winners. Reds blend generous sun-drenched fruit and fennel-like earthiness. The most appealing whites are fresh and floral. Because the most fascinating wines in the world reflect the local soil and climate, look here for accents of salty sea air, candied orange peel and silty minerals from the volcanic soil.

On my tasting tour, I was particularly fond of a 1997 vintage from the COS winery in Cerasuolo di Vittoria, southeast of Palermo, which is made from a mixture of the island's main grape Nera d'Avola and the strawberry-like Frappato. The seven-year-old wine ($18) was bright, like a tart red cherry, and grounded with sunbaked plum flavors. Some of these older red wines develop delicious flavors like bittersweet chocolate and smoky tea.

If you've avoided visiting Sicily for a wine tour because you've heard that their vintners aren't up to the level of their cuisine, be brave and book your ticket. My favorite wine areas are the most rugged, generally east or south of Palermo. You can't walk two steps without coming across a dramatic landscape--or a delicious Nera d'Avola.