Sicily

• Mt. Etna

Giacomo d’Alessandro is the founder and owner of the d’Alessandro Winery, located near Agrigento in Sicily. Though the winery’s lands and vineyards have been in the family since 1820, only in 2006 did Giacomo open the family winery. His latest entrepreneurial venture is d’Alessandro Wines, a technologically advanced winery that merges the family history and connection to the land with modern ecological “green” practices while making wines from indigenous Sicilian grapes. Giacomo lives in Rome where the corporate office of his travel business is located, traveling frequently to the family home in Agrigento to oversee the development and expansion of the winery. When not in Sicily or Rome, Giacomo can be found traveling the world promoting d’Alessandro Wines.

Last month we explored the wines of Mt. Vesuvius in Campania. This article will explore the wines from Italy’s other famous volcano, Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is in the eastern portion of Sicily. It is the highest active volcano in Sicily at just under 11,000 feet often capped with snow. It is a beautiful place and mystical setting.

This article is Part Three in a series on Sicilian foods, wines, and culture. Part One of this series was a focus on Sicily as “The new darling of wine culture.” Part Two of this series was a focus on the young, dominating wine industry of the Etna DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) on east coast of Sicily, on and around Mount Etna. To fully experience the foods and wines of Sicily one might spend some time reflecting on the Mediterranean island’s history, its place on the World Map – at the point of three seas and various trade routes – or its harsh geography, and the fact it has been colonized by various civilizations for millennia who introduced and cultivated unfamiliar foods and traditions.

This is the second article ( Part one is here ) in an investigative series on Sicilian wines. Part Three of this series will be a focus on the Sicilian palate, foods and wines from the southern most region of Italy. My wife’s cousin, Fabio, navigates the winding roads up the east side of Mount Etna as naturally as the breeze follows the Sicilian coastline. We are en route to the small mountain town of Randazzo where Fabio’s friend is the winemaker at a winery called Gurrida . Over the course of an hour, we have passed thousands of acres of vineyards and citrus groves and several ancient villages carved (literally) out of lava.

This is the first of an investigative series on Sicilian wines. Part Two of this series will be a focus on the young, dominating wine industry of the Etna DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) on east coast of Sicily, on and around Mount Etna. For most people, the Mediterranean peninsula of Italy conjures metaphors and sensations of gastronomic ecstasy and high culture. The foods and wines are like its history, sated with drama and prudence. From its politics to its geography, the nation is connected by its diversities of culture, and no where are differences more frequently and poignantly in play than the southern region of Sicily.