Wine Tastings and Winery Visits in Etna

Wine tasting on Mount Etna: which wineries to visit

This page lists more than 30 Etna wineries and about a hundred experiences. Two out of three experiences are on the north slope, around Castiglione di Sicilia, about an hour's drive from Catania and half an hour from Taormina. The rest are split mainly between the east and south slopes, closer to Catania, and the towns of Taormina and Catania. Nearly three out of four experiences last one to two hours, usually with 3 or 4 wines, and they have more than 180 reviews on Winedering.

Which Etna wineries should you visit?

Among the most booked on Winedering over the last two years:

• Oro d'Etna, in Zafferana Etnea: more than a quarter of this page's bookings. Honey tasting among the beehives, then the vineyard, the cellar, 4 wines and a Nerello Mascalese grappa, with arancino and pecorino aged with chestnut honey.
• Serafica, in Nicolosi: vineyards, olive groves and the oil mill, then 2 wines and 3 extra virgin olive oils, each oil with its own cheese.
• Gambino, in Linguaglossa: 4 wines with its sommelier and a Sicilian meal, from pasta alla Norma and grilled sausage to a small cannolo.
• Casale 120, in Castiglione di Sicilia: the owners' historic vineyard on dry-stone terraces facing the summit craters, a lava cave and 4 wines, from Etna Bianco to Etna Rosso.

North, east or south: which side of Etna should you choose?

It depends on where you are staying: the north slope is nearer Taormina, while the east and south slopes are closer to Catania and take about half of the bookings, mostly thanks to Oro d'Etna and Serafica:

• Castiglione di Sicilia: more than 30 experiences, around Rovittello, Passopisciaro, Verzella and Solicchiata.
• Linguaglossa and Piedimonte Etneo: more than 20, on the north-east slope.
• Randazzo: more than 10, around Montelaguardia, with vineyards on old lava flows.
• Milo and Zafferana Etnea on the east slope, Nicolosi, Viagrande and Trecastagni on the south slope.

For the rest of the island, see the wine tastings in Sicily.

Etna Rosso, Etna Bianco or sparkling: which wines will you taste?

Above all Etna DOC, Sicily's first appellation, created in 1968: Etna Rosso and Rosato are at least 80% Nerello Mascalese, Etna Bianco at least 60% Carricante. Etna Bianco Superiore comes only from Milo, where 3 of the 5 wines at Maugeri are Bianco Superiore. The appellation has more than 130 contrade, vineyard areas whose names can appear on the label: at Graci, in Passopisciaro, you taste 5 wines from different contrade after a visit to its 19th-century palmento. Etna also makes traditional-method sparkling wine, and Terrazze dell'Etna, in Randazzo, pours 3 of its own, up to a Blanc Brut aged 50 months, alongside one from elsewhere in Italy. Nearly 4 experiences out of 10 take you into a palmento, the old stone press house where the grapes were trodden.

Where can you have lunch at a winery on Etna?

Mostly on the north slope: about 20 experiences include lunch, from a light lunch to a seven-course menu. The most booked full lunch is at Emilio Sciacca, in Linguaglossa: the old Palmento Martinella and the vineyard, then three courses with 3 wines, dessert with a sweet wine and a children's menu. Firriato pours 4 wines with a light lunch or dinner at its Cavanera Etnea resort, in Verzella. At Terra Costantino, in Viagrande, you taste 3 organic Etna DOC wines in an underground cellar that shows 6 metres of volcanic soil layers, then sit down to three courses with 3 more.

Can you combine a Mount Etna tour and a wine tasting from Catania or Taormina?

Yes: there are more than 15 wine tours on Etna, most leaving from Taormina or Catania, and some stop at the craters or add a hike. The tasting with Zumbo Vini, in Castiglione di Sicilia, starts with a shuttle from Piano Provenzana up to 2,600 metres for a guided walk and a first glass, then you drive yourself to the winery for 3 more wines and lunch. If you have no car, Tenute dei Ciclopi pours 4 of its Etna DOC wines steps from the Duomo in Catania, and there are a few wine tastings in Taormina too.

When is the best time for wine tasting on Etna?

Autumn and spring: September to November brings a third of the year's bookings and April and May almost a quarter, with October and May the busiest months. In autumn it is harvest time on the north slope, from late September into October. In spring there is Cantine Aperte, Italy's open cellars event, on the last weekend of May. Many tastings can also be given as a gift: whoever receives the voucher picks the date.