Sicilian wine

DOC Sicilia is the designation of origin that covers the whole island of Sicily. The Ministry of Agriculture established it by decree of 22 November 2011. On 12 June 2012, winegrowers, winemakers and bottlers founded the Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOC Sicilia, which protects and promotes the designation.

The area is large: according to the Consorzio, Sicily, at 25,460 km², is known as the largest island in the Mediterranean, and the DOC also applies to the surrounding islands such as the Aeolian Islands and Pantelleria. For 2025 the Consorzio reports over 22,000 hectares of declared vineyard, 346 bottlers and 7,127 winegrowers.

Terre Siciliane is an IGT (also IGP on the label): a broader geographical indication with more flexible rules than the DOC. The main difference for the customer lies in two grape names. According to the trade magazine Meininger, nero d'avola and grillo may no longer be sold as varietal wines under Terre Siciliane since the 2017 harvest, but belong under DOC Sicilia. The maximum yield for both grapes was set at 14 tonnes per hectare.

The aim was better traceability: DOC wines get a numbered state strip seal on the bottle. Other grapes, such as catarratto or syrah, you still regularly see with Terre Siciliane IGT on the label.

The Consorzio lists more than seventy native grape varieties on the island. The best known:

• Nero d'avola: a blue grape, already described in 1696 by Cupani and grown in all wine regions of the island. We have a separate page about this.
• Grillo: white grape, a cross of catarratto and zibibbo, with certain traces in Sicily since the end of the nineteenth century and planted mainly around Trapani. On the label grillo appears as a varietal wine, so with Sicilia DOC.
• Catarratto: white grape traditionally from the Etna region, now spread across the whole island.
• Frappato: dark-skinned grape from Ragusa and Syracuse, already mentioned by Sestini in 1760.

In addition there are international grapes such as syrah.

Pantelleria is a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily, in the province of Trapani. The DOC Pantelleria dates from a presidential decree of 11 August 1971. The production regulations prescribe that the wines come exclusively from zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria); only the white wine may contain up to 15 percent other white grapes.

For Pantelleria Passito liquoroso the regulation requires at least 22 percent total alcohol, of which at least 15 percent already fermented. The vines grow low to the ground as bushes, the alberello pantesco, against the harsh wind. UNESCO placed this method of cultivation on 26 November 2014 on the list of intangible cultural heritage: the first agricultural practice with that recognition.

The shop stocks wines from Cantine Pellegrino, among others, a family business that has been in Marsala since 1880 and has also worked on Pantelleria since the nineties:

• Pellegrino Gazzerotta Nero d'Avola (DOC Sicilia)
• Pellegrino Ilsalinaro Grillo (DOC Sicilia, vineyard by the salt pans of Marsala)
• Pellegrino Kelbi Catarratto (Terre Siciliane IGT)
• Pellegrino Rinazzo Syrah (Terre Siciliane IGT)
• Pellegrino Pantelleria Passito Liquoroso (DOC Pantelleria, zibibbo)

There are also Preciso Nero d'Avola Sicilia and Zensa Nero d'Avola. Want to know which bottle suits your occasion? Drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen or call us on 0570 541 278.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.