04/09/2026
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SICILY (By Dr Nenad Jelisic)
Sicily, an Italian w**e region that consists of 30 appellations. Of these, 1 is DOCG (Cerasuolo di Vittoria), 23 are DOC (These include the well-known DOC appellations such as Etna, Marsala, Noto and fully covered Sicilia) and 6 are IGP/IGT (The largest and most famous of these is Terre Siciliane).
Sicily grapes, about 67% are white w**e grapes and about 33% are red w**e grapes. The most widely grown grapes are Catarratto (white w**e grape) about 32% and Nero d'Avola (red w**e grape) about 16%. Also grown are the white w**e grapes Carricante (must constitute at least 60% in an Etna Bianco DOC-w**e), Grillo and Inzolia. And the red w**e grapes Frappato (is mainly blended with Nero d'Avola in Sicily's only DOCG-w**e; Cerasuolo di Vittoria) and Nerello Mascalese (must constitute at least 80% in an Etna Rosso DOC-w**e). The remaining grapes consists of newly planted or unclassified experimental varieties.
Sicily soils, can be broadly divided into four main geological categories: 1. Volcanic soils (Northeast Sicily) that consist of weathered black lava, weathered ash, weathered pumice, weathered basalt and round pebbles. These soils are extremely porous, allowing vine roots to pe*****te deeply, have very high water permeability and are fertile. They produce fruity w**es with lots of tannins, lots of minerals, high tartaric acid and high freshness. 2. Calcareous soils (North and Southeast Sicily) are dominated by weathered limestone, weathered chalk, marl (a clayey soil that contains a lot of lime) and terra rossa (a well-drained, reddish, iron oxide-rich, clayey to silty soil). These soils have very high water permeability, but marl and terra rossa have a good ability to bind water. They produce w**es with lots of tannins, high tartaric acid and freshness. 3. Clay and weathered sandstone soils (Central, Western and Southwestern Sicily) that consist of clay, weathered claystone, weathered sandstone and sandy silt. These soils are rich in nutrients and bind water. They produce w**es with high tartaric acid and high freshness. 4. Saline and gypsum-rich soils (The Sicilian inland) are dominated by gypsum, potassium salts and rock salts. These soils harm vines growth, but they are permeable, saline-rich and gypsum-rich. They produce w**es with high salinity, high minerality, lots of tannins, high tartaric acid and high freshness.
Sicily the best w**es, Girolamo Russo San Lorenzo Piano delle Colombe Etna Rosso, Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana and Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Dagala Di Bocca d’Orzo.
See other w**e facts at: https://www.nj-w**es.com/w**e-glossary-and-w**e-facts
Read more about w**e at: https://www.nj-w**es.com/nj-w**es-english
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