Tears of lava, limestone plains swept by the wind, sunny lands shaded of bronze and gold. A sea, home to dolphins and swordfish, perennially the color of sapphire. A people of unmeasured hospitality and creativity. All this says welcome to Sicilia, l’Isola del Sole!

Sicily’s warm, dry climate, sloping hillsides, and rocky soil make it ideal for growing grapes – on par with California’s Napa Valley, for example. But while New World vineyards like Napa, Australia and Chile have become famous for producing fine, world-class wines, Sicily’s 4,000-year-old tradition of bulk winemaking has caused oenophiles to turn up their noses.

…Until now.

A new generation of Sicilian winemakers is winning worldwide acclaim for excellent medium-priced and premium wines. A new breed is securing accolades around the world. This transformation has come about thanks to changes in viticulture techniques and winemaking expertise. While whites have led the way so far, reds are now racing up the quality curve. Until recently, Sicilian reds were overly heavy and alcohol-loaded.

One usually associates fine wines with eastern Sicily and the areas near Mount Etna, but many new wineries have sprung up across the entire island. Sicilian viticulture is not just varietals (wines made from a single specified variety of grape). Sicily’s vintage wines are a magical creation, and many of the island’s traditional wines and spirits are famous far beyond its dazzling shores. Several boast DOC and DOCG designations. Sicily has its own table and dessert wines, and a number of regional liqueurs. Let’s take a look at them.

Catarratto Bianco is the island’s most-planted white wine grape. It thrives in the Trapani area, as well as in the volcanic Eolian Isles, where it is commonly called Castellaro. Other noteworthy Sicilian whites are Carricante, Contessa Entellina, Corinto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, (also known as Insolia or Ansonica), and Bianco d’Alcamo, made mainly in the Palermo and Trapani provinces.

Sicily’s warm, dry climate, sloping hillsides, and rocky soil make it ideal for growing grapes – on par with California’s Napa Valley, for example.

Nero d’Avola is a noble Sicilian wine with a dense ruby-red color. Perhaps the most important indigenous red wine grape in Sicily. Nero d’Avola is named after the town of Avola in the far south end of Sicilia and its wines are compared to New World Shirazes with their notorious sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors. The enthralling bouquet of Nero d’Avola recalls chocolate and black cherry, hints of violets with a light trace of tobacco at the close. It is a wine with a big structure and a remarkable personality, and in recent years has been becoming quite chic among wine-lovers in America.

More interesting Sicilian reds are: Gaglioppo, Frappato, Nerello Cappuccio or Mantellato, Nerello Mascalese, and Perricone, whose alternative name is Pignatello. Il Vino Siciliano, in both its skin colors, pairs perfectly with the fresh seafood and specialties the island so lavishly offers.

Sicily is also famed for its sweet dessert wines and liqueurs, ranging from the world-known Marsalav, to the interesting Zibibbo. It is a very old process, and Zibibbo, though not the direct precursor of Marsala, derives from a formula known in the Middle Ages. It is typically slightly lower in alcohol than Marsala and sometimes more robust. The Zibibbo grape is similar to Moscato, and the wine known as Moscato di Pantelleria Naturale is made mostly from Zibibbo grapes.

Moscato itself is difficult to describe. It comes from the Muscat grape, of course, or from the sub-variety known locally as Moscatello. Some fine whites can be made from Muscat, but in Sicily and the nearby Eolian islands it is usually rendered as a golden or light amber dessert wine, sometimes fortified or even sparkling (spumante). Moscato and Moscato Passito are made by some distinguished wineries on the islands of Pantelleria and Lipari. The areas around Siracusa and Noto, in the eastern part of Sicily, also produce fine Moscato wines.

Malvasia is another white grape used to make a strong varietal that is golden to amber in color and slightly fortified. Bred from an older grape variety, Malvasia is grown in northeastern Sicily (near Messina) and on the island of Lipari, where it is used in the making of a wine somewhat similar to Moscato.

Meet me next week for yet another wine tasting tour in the southern Italy as we take a ferry over to Sardegna. Here we will be learning more about the vino of this stunning island, one of the most ancient areas of Italy.

Salute!

Would you like to travel the hills of Sicily as your ancestors once did – and even have the chance to find your Sicilian relatives still living there as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Sicilian!) family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime with a custom Heritage Tour for you and your family!

Photo Courtesy of “VinoFamily” at Flickr

Last Friday I tempted you with some of Italy’s Sweet Treats for Carnevale. But don’t worry if you missed the Carnival celebrations in bella Italia this year. Italy has an endless selection of delightful desserts you can enjoy any time of the year. Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at the fun stories behind some of the most popular traditional Italian desserts. This week, let’s start with one that was originally prepared only for Carnevale—just like chiacchiere and castagnole are today—but has since become one of Italy’s most famous desserts. Known (and enjoyed!) around the world, we are—of course—talking about the divine cannoli siciliani (Sicilian Cannoli).

The Sicilians have used their unique and vibrant touch to create some of the most beautiful and extravagant desserts in Italy. But the king of all of the island’s delectable desserts is surely cannoli, crunchy fried pastry tubes open on each end and traditionally filled with sweet fresh ricotta cheese and a mixture of chocolate and candied fruit pieces. Although most people around the world—particularly in America—call a single tube “a cannoli,” only one of these treats is actually called a cannolo – a name that refers to the tube shape of the pastry. The linguistic corruption is easy to justify, though. After all, who can just eat only one!?!

The origin of cannoli is now covered by a haze. (Or is that powdered sugar?) Food historians suggest it was probably first made in a now forgotten convent or monastery near Palermo during the period of Arab rule of Sicily. We do know that they were originally a sweet prepared during Carnevale. There are even stories that suggest—in keeping with the practical jokes and festive spirit of Carnevale—a cannolo would sometimes be stuffed with something unpleasant inside and covered with cream on both ends as normal. The unsuspecting victim would bite into the scrumptious looking cannolo to find the surprise inside!

Whatever the true story may be, cannoli have long since lost their connection to Carnevale, and can now be enjoyed throughout the year. This is, of course, good news for cannoli lovers traveling to Sicily and Italy! You will find them in a variety of sizes, from the tiny cannulicchi or cannolicchi (no bigger than a finger) to cannoli of gigantic proportions made near Piana degli Albanesi near Palermo. Every year this town hosts the Sagra del Cannolo (Festival of the Cannolo) from January to February, which carries on the tradition of celebrating Carnevale with cannoli. What a perfect opportunity to indulge in true cannoli siciliani!

Although most people around the world—particularly in America—call a single tube “a cannoli,” only one of these treats is actually called a cannolo – a name that refers to the tube shape of the pastry. The linguistic corruption is easy to justify, though. After all, who can just eat only one!?!

Traveling around Sicily you’ll find countless different regional and family variations on the classic cannoli filling. Some bakers will add little bits of chocolate or different types of candied fruits. Sometimes you’ll find bright red candied cherries decorating each end, which is a typical decoration in Palermo, while in the eastern part of the island you might find the bright green of chopped pistachios from the town of Bronte sprinkled on each end. Cannoli shells are even sometimes dipped in chocolate before being filled. In Sicily the filling is flavored with vanilla extract or sometimes with Marsala wine, and the final touch is the dusting of powdered sugar.

Cannoli are one of the staples of the Italian-American household and, like so many things, everyone remembers Grandma’s cannoli as the best. The dessert has even more variations in America, although the cannoli you’ll find in most Italian-American bakeries are still commonly filled with the traditional sweetened ricotta. Sometimes you’ll also find mascarpone cheese or a sweet custard in place of the ricotta, though. Vanilla is the most common flavoring, but it’s still possible to track down a good cannolo made with a touch of Marsala at a traditional bakery. Just as in Sicily, you’ll find candied cherries and citrus peel, pistachios and chocolate pieces decorating the tops of the cannoli.

Now that I’ve got you heading to the nearest pasticceria or bakery, don’t forget to stop back by The italyMONDO! Blog next Friday as we travel from Sicily up the coast of Italy to Naples where we’ll discover the traditional Babà Napoletano.

Buon appetito!

Would you like to taste true Sicilian cannoli and find your family in Sicily? Contact us and find out how italyMONDO! can help you discover your roots in Italy and create a vacation of a lifetime for you and your family!

Photo Courtesy of “alifayre” at Flickr