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Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 – “Loaded with fragrance, flavor and finesse, this savory white pushes all the right buttons, starting with inviting aromas of tropical fruit, citrus and white spring flowers. The fresh, medium-bodied palate doles out honeydew, Meyer lemon and Mediterranean herb alongside crisp acidity and a hint of saline.”

A nero d’avola with a light, fresh edge, revealing sour cherries and raspberry cheesecake with a touch of citrus. Very taut and edgy, almost tart, on the palate, but there’s undeniable transparency and depth. Medium-bodied and medium-chewy. Drink now.

A firm, tight red with dark-berry, stone, walnut-shell and steel character. Medium body and lightly hewn tannins. Better in a year or two. Drink from 2020.

Vineyards in Acate, SE Sicily. 8–9 days on skins in tank, then aged four months in tank. TA 5.4 g/l, pH 3.6, RS 2.8 g/l.
Mid to light cherry red. Lifted, scented and so pretty with wild strawberry aroma. Silky, fresh and delicate. Not particularly long but very refreshing. Raspberry fruit on the finish, becoming more peppery with time in the glass. Full of life. Juicy but finishes nicely dry. (JH)

95% Nerello Mascalese and the rest Nerello Cappuccio. Some mixed varieties in the vineyards. Every eruption changes the soil composition, according to Antonio Rallo of Donnafugata, who is also chairman of the Sicilia DOC Consorzio. Blend from small parcels. Fermented in tank and aged partly in 2nd- and 3rd-use French oak. pH 3.48, TA 5.7 g/l. 68,000 bottles produced.
Pretty, light ruby. Such pretty red fruit on the nose, sour cherry on the palate. But still that dustry chalky stony note on the nose as on the white Sul Volcano 2016. Extremely fresh, tight, tangy and really moreish. High acid and noteble but fine, dry tannins. Prettily scented. Mouth-watering. (JH)

First vintage, released October 2018. Single vineyard in Montalguardia. Vines aged 70 years, trained both albarello and VSP. The soils here are the result of a different eruption and are therefore of different composition than other parts of Etna, giving fuller-bodied wines, according to Donnafugata’s Antonio Rallo. TA 5.7 g/l, pH 3.55. Aged 14 months in 2nd- and 3rd-use barriques.
Slightly darker than the Sul Volcano 2016. But still light to mid ruby. Sweeter and riper red-cherry character. Firmer tannins. Really firm and compact and chewy though the texture is very fine, beautifully dry. Needs food. Super-fresh. (JH)

Beautifully smooth and supple, the 2016 Sicilia Contessa Entellina Chiarandà was born in a slightly cooler vintage and shows a great sense of linearity and precision as a result. This Sicilian Chardonnay is fermented in steel, and only half of the total mass eventually goes into barrique and tonneaux for a brief six months of aging. The wine shows good depth and volume with orchard fruit and sweet nectarine. Some 30,000 bottles were made.

This is another new wine from the folks at Donnafugata who have recently enlarged their portfolio of Sicilian wines to include Etna. The 2016 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Floramundi is a delicate red wine from the Vittoria area in the southeast of the island. It’s floral and graceful with pressed violets and rose hip, a highly accessible and easy wine that does not lack in either complexity or sophistication. Like a Burgundian wine, this blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola gives you power and strength, delivered with the grace of a ballet.

The pretty 2017 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Floramundi is a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato that shows a tight, luminous and snappy personality. This is a red wine to drink with snapper or shellfish. It opens to a medium ruby color and lean consistency with wild berry aromas, blueberry, wild rose and a playful touch of bitter almond. Some 89,000 bottles were made.

Welcome to the first rosato to join the Donnafugata family of wines. The 2018 Etna Rosato Sul Vulcano is an unoaked Nerello Mascalese that opens to a very pretty, pale pink color with soft tones of wild berry, apple and mint tea. Delicate mineral sensations give the wine beautiful focus and clarity. The presentation is excellent all around. I could see this as a great accompaniment to a Moroccan-style chicken tagine. Some 16,000 bottles were made.

Here is a new and exciting wine from the folks at Donnafugata. The 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Montelaguardia Fragore is a compact and mid-weight expression that opens to a pretty garnet color with dark ruby hues. The bouquet is redolent of wild berry and cassis, but you also get hints of wild rose, smoke, tar and volcanic smoke. As a first vintage of this wine from Etna, the folks at Donnafugata have hit the nail on the head. This is a great wine for a blackened tuna steak on the grill. Some 15,000 bottles were made.

Donnafugata’s Tancredi is one of Sicily’s most popular red wines, and it’s easy to see why. The 2016 Tancredi is rich and soft at the same time, with a very pleasing texture that caresses the palate with dark fruit, spice and plum. The wine is mostly a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola, although some Tannat and other grapes are thrown in. It ages in oak for 14 months. This is a complete effort that boasts thick layering and volume. Some 89,000 bottles were made.

Rather than pair this wine with a Sicilian dessert, serve it as the Sicilian dessert. The 2016 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé is a radiant and beautifully fragrant edition with white raisins, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, preserved lemon, dried sage, apricot and sea salt. I could go on. The wine is light on its feet thanks to that crisp acidity, yet it has the volume and richness to coat your palate in all its luscious glory. The whole package is explosive. This dessert wine is usually sold in a 750-milliliter bottle (with some 80,000 bottles made), but you can also find it in a smaller 375-milliliter bottle.