“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all”. This is a quote from Goethe, whose famous work Italian Journey describes his quest throughout Italy in the late 1700’s. I couldn’t agree more. Sicily is this truly magical island that has had so many cultural influences over the last three thousand years that it feels almost like a different planet compared to the rest of Italy. Society and the culture has been influenced by just to name a few— the Greeks, Romans, Moors, Habsburgs. Sicily not only has European influences but Arab and North African ones as well. These influences can be seen and experienced in the architecture, food and wine culture. Modern Sicily is a place where you can get a bit of everything from the laid back small towns to bustling cities with so much history everywhere you look. We’ll get into the wine in a sec, but first, here are 3 of my favorite things to do on the island (full disclosure—I spent a month exploring the island last year so if you are thinking of visiting or want any recommendations I’ll be at this tasting to answer your questions):
-Drive on the streets of Palermo during a street festival (feels like you’re in an F1 Race that turned into a demolition derby).
-Walk through the cliffside town on top of Taormina (a true White Lotus moment with some of the most breathtaking views in the world).
-Visit the fish market in downtown Campania (think Pikes Place in Seattle meets Tsukiji Market in Tokyo but the fishmongers are ex, or maybe still members of the mafia).
The wine: Sicilian wine starts with Etna, whose highly coveted bottles are exported throughout the world, but there are great producers from all over that can fly a bit under the radar. We’re going to showcase 5 wines from 5 different parts of the island to show you the true spectrum of all that Sicilian wines can offer. Starting with a white from Centopassi (a co-op with plantings on reclaimed mafia land), we’ll then explore several of Sicily’s indigenous varieties, from Frappato to Nerelo Mascalese and Nero d’Avola. We’ll be pouring from some of Sicily’s most famous producers (like COS and Frank Cornelissen) and some a little more obscure. So come to the tasting, sip on some Sicilian wine and listen to me spout about how Italy is the best place on earth.
