Many grapes are made into raisins, used in local cooking, and Sicilian grapes also play a large role in creating dessert wines, which require a higher concentration of grapes and are consumed in smaller quantities. In fact, in the world of international wine, Sicily is renowned for the many outstanding dessert wines, such as the world-famous Marsala, Moscato di Pantelleria & Malvasia delle Lipari.
The traditional varieties cultivated on the island include: red grape varieties such as Nero d'Avola (today experiencing a significant renaissance in the market), Nerello Cappuccio and Mascalese, Carricante, Nocera, Perricone and Frappato; white grape varieties such as Catarratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, Malvasia delle Lipari and Zibibbo or Moscato. In addition to the traditional varieties listed above, today there are numerous non-traditional varieties grown on the island which include: red varieties such as Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; white varieties such as Chardonnay, Viognier, Muller Thurgau and Sauvignon blanc.
Bordeaux-style wine
Lacroix is a Superior Bordeaux produced by the merger of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It is an elegant, velvety and fruity wine with a ruby red color.
Pezat Blanc is a dry white Bordeaux produced from Sauvignon Blanc grapes with the addition of Muscadelle which gives it an exotic note. It is a fresh and fruity wine with a refreshing finish.
Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a red wine obtained from the blend of Frappato grapes and Nero D'Avola grapes in regulated percentages. It is produced in a large area of the province of Ragusa and in part of the provinces of Caltanissetta and Catania, an area of ancient wine-growing vocation, as evidenced by numerous documents dating back to the III century AC.
The frappato COS is a fresh, soft and fragrant wine. Only 5000 bottles produced. It is aged in vitrified cement tanks and subsequently bottled. The frappato represents the most representative cultivar of the territory of Vittoria not to say of the whole Sicily, together with the Nero d'Avola it becomes part of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria, in the only Sicilian DOCG.
Les Asteries was the first of Saint-Emilion's micro-cuvée wines and is produced from eighty-year-old vines that survived the devastating frost of 1956.
Chateau Teyssier is one of the best selling Grand Crus Saint Emilion. Produced from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes and aged in French oak, it is a rich, velvety and spicy wine.