The 7 Best Italian Red Wines From Sicily to Buy Right Now in 2025
Donnafugata/Planeta/Regaleali
While wine grapes have been grown on Sicily since the Phoenicians arrived 2,800 years ago, it is not always the first Italian region that comes to mind. Often overlooked for its fine wine production by those whose tastes run towards Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, or Amarone, Sicily is Italy’s biggest wine region by acreage as well as the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Home to a multitude of indigenous grapes whose cultivation reaches back hundreds if not thousands of years, Sicily boasts 23 DOCs (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), including the large Sicilia DOC denomination and one high-level DOCG designation. Just two miles offshore from mainland Italy in the heart of the Mediterranean, Sicily is only 87 miles from North Africa.
With hot summers and mild, wet winters, a Mediterranean climate, and altitudes that go from sea level to almost 11,000 feet, Sicilian vineyards are ideal for the cultivation of a wide range of wine grapes. With interest in mineral-rich wines from volcanic soils at an all-time high, one of its most popular regions at the moment is Etna DOC, where nearly 3,000 acres of grapes are grown on the slopes of Europe’s largest active volcano. Red wine lovers will delight in indigenous varieties such as Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Perricone, as well as those native to France, like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Here are the Sicilian reds that we are enjoying this week.
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Planeta 2018 Didacus Cabernet Franc
Image Credit: Planeta Cabernet Franc grapes for this stunning wine are grown in the Piano del Sommacco vineyard in Sambuca di Sicilia, located squarely in the Menfi D.O.C. After harvest, they are cooled down in a climate-controlled room for 24 hours and table sorted, destemmed, and then table sorted again. Fermentation occurs in small and large oak barrels with lees stirring twice per week, followed by 21 months of ageing in oak before bottling. In the glass, Didacus is deep purple in color with aromas of cocoa, Indian spice box, black plum, and blueberry with silky tannins and flavors of red raspberry, tart cherry, brown baking spices, blackberry, and dried mint leaves.
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Donnafugata 2021 Mille e Una Note Nera D’Avola
Image Credit: Donnafugata Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo founded Donnafugata in 1983 and named it after an Italian novel entitled The Leopard, in which donna in fuga—a woman in flight—finds refuge in the wine-growing region of Sicily. Donnafugata’s holdings today include a family cellar in Marsala that dates back to 1851, a second cellar on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, and a 667-acre estate at Contessa Entellina. Donnafugata’s Mille e Una Note translates to 1001 Nights and is made from 100 percent Nero d’Avola grapes. It offers aromas of freshly ground black pepper, black raspberry, and mint that prepare the palate for velvety tannins and flavors of black licorice, black plum, and a touch of cocoa powder in the finish.
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Regaleali 2018 Rosso del Conte Red Blend
Image Credit: Regaleali The Tasca d’Alberita brothers acquired Tenuta Regaleali in Sclafani in 1830, and for the last 194 years, they have carried the torch for Sicilian agriculture and sustainability. They currently manage almost 1,500 acres of land with different soils and altitudes. The family makes more than 15 wines, but their Regaleali Rosso del Conte is their premium wine, named for the local nobility. A blend of 53 percent Nero d’Avola and 47 percent Perricone, this delightful wine has aromas of strawberry, black raspberry, and garrigue with pleasantly grippy tannins and flavors of black fruits and vanilla surrounded by a toasted oak frame.
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Feudo Montoni 2020 Vrucara Prephylloxera Nero D’Avola
Image Credit: Feudo Montoni Feudo Montoni’s history dates back to 1469, and since that time, the various stewards of the property have concentrated on the cultivation of local Sicilian varieties. Current owner Fabio Sireci continues the estate’s tradition by watching over 400 acres of vines scattered among local wheat fields and dedicates his career to wine made from pre-phylloxera vines. Grapes for this enticing wine are grown in a single vineyard named Vrucara because of the local herb that grows among the pre-phylloxera Nero d’Avola vines. In the glass, it is crimson red with aromas of black plum, red cherry, and black raspberry. Full-bodied in the mouth, it has flavors of ripe red and black fruits accented by dried Mediterranean herbs.
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Firriato 2018 Rosso Camelot
Image Credit: Firriato Firriato consists of seven estates in Sicily, including Baglio Soria, Calamoni di Favignana, Cavanera Etnea, Borgo Guarini, Pianoro Cuddia, Daglala Borromeo, and Giudeo, with each producing unique wines dependent upon soil type, altitude, and orientation to the sun. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Firriato 2018 Rosso Camelot is a delicious wine that is deep red in color and draws you into the glass with aromas of strawberry, red raspberry, and cinnamon. Full-bodied in the mouth, it has plush tannins and flavors of blueberry, mint, and black cherry.
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Cusumano 2019 Sagana Tenuta San Giacomo Nero d’Avola
Image Credit: Cosumano Grapes for this elegant wine are grown at Tenuta San Giacomo in Butera in white, calcium-filled soils called torrone bianco at altitudes of 1,300 feet. The winemaking team finds that these soils bring out elegance, balance, and maturity from the Nero d’Avola vine planted there, as well as wine with the ability to age for long periods of time. Garnet colored in the glass, this Sicilian stunner offers aromas of ripe red and black fruits accented by dried savory herbs and flavors of black raspberry, red cherry, and a touch of lifted menthol in the finish.
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Stemmari 2015 Hedonis Riserva
Image Credit: Stemmari Hedonis is named for the Greek concept of the pursuit of pleasure and is produced from grapes grown in two vineyards in Sambuca; the first with east-to-west orientation and the other facing directly east so that it can easily capture the sun’s first light. At just about 10 years old, this current release has aged beautifully and elegantly and offers aromas of dried raspberry, cranberry, black licorice, and pomegranate that transition beautifully to flavors of tobacco leaf, vanilla, and black plum, all wrapped in a silky tannic sheath.
