Hello,
1,200 meters up on Mount Etna. Sea level in Marsala. Volcanic islands near Lipari. Limestone hills in Monreale. Sicily – the island where everyone expects powerful reds. Yet its white wines tell the more compelling stories. []
From the Heights to the Sea
At Italy's highest vineyard, Salvo Foti makes a rosé that refuses to be one. Sure, not a white wine – but so unique it had to be included here. The "Vinudilice Rosato": ten indigenous grape varieties, white and red, picked together, fermented together. Wild strawberry meets graphite, wild herbs meet volcanic minerality. The altitude provides acidity, the volcano provides structure. A wine that defies all categories.
700 meters lower, but still high enough for cool nights: Vito Lauria has revived his grandfather's Grillo parcel. The "Grillo Giardinello" shows what altitude can do to this grape: grapefruit and green tangerine, underpinned by wet chalk. 24 hours of skin contact for structure, spontaneous fermentation for character.
Limestone, Volcano, and the Sea
The limestone hills of Monreale give Case Alte's Catarratto its stony precision. The "Bianco di Mortilli": kaffir lime, grilled pineapple, a hint of cold smoke. The minerality practically clings to your palate – salty, almost like sea spray, though the ocean is miles away.
On Lipari, where the wind carries salt from the sea, Tenuta di Castellaro turns necessity into virtue. The "Bianco Porticello" unites Muscat, Carricante, and Malvasia: salt-rimmed lemon, lychee, vibrant salinity. Each variety brings its strength – aroma, structure, texture.
And then there's Marco de Bartoli in Marsala. His "Integer Grillo" is a journey through time: 10 days of maceration in clay amphorae, 10 months on the lees. Orange zest, honey, a texture like liquid gold. Not an orange wine for Instagram – a wine like the grandfathers made, only better.
Grape Varieties Like Incantations
Grillo, Catarratto, Carricante, Minnella, Grecanico – names nobody knew 20 years ago. Today they reveal what lies within them. Each variety has found its terroir, each terroir its variety.
Arianna Occhipinti crafts her "SP68 Bianco" from Albanello and Zibibbo – named after the country road to her vineyards. A wine that proves: you don't need to be loud to be heard. This one too with (a touch of) tightening skin contact.
This diversity makes Sicily unique. Every slope has its own dialect, every parcel its peculiar salinity.
Squaring the Circle
For Purists: Grillo Giardinello – shows what altitude does to Grillo
For Explorers: Bianco di Mortilli – Catarratto from limestone hills
For the Bold: Integer Grillo – needs time and attention
For Boundary Pushers: Vinudilice Rosato – defies all categories
Find the complete Sicily collection here.
Warmly from Berlin,
Mitya and the team at
Lebendige Weine
P.S.: Give these wines air – especially the Integer Grillo. The Zalto decanter turns good wines into great ones.
P.P.S.: Want to dive deeper? In our journal you'll find Notes on Natural Wine in Sicily – a journey to the winemakers who are redefining the island.