Sicilian wine tasting and lunch in the cellar

The Etna and Wine tour is a real journey within a journey. A journey through flavors, perfumes, nature and history. During this excursion on Etna you will discover the summit area with its lunar landscape and the best Sicilian wines. You will taste the aromas and flavors of our traditional cuisine. The best way to appreciate the richness of this island is to sit down at the table. Let yourself be overwhelmed by the aromas and flavors of its wines and culinary specialties. Sicily is a region particularly rich in land and sea products.

This makes its cuisine very varied and diversified. The essence of its culinary heritage is the fruit of the peoples who have left a trace of their passage. The main objective of this experience is the visit of Etna, the Benanti winery in Viagrande (Etna South) or Cottanera (Etna North), the tasting of the wines of the volcano and the typical Sicilian lunch.

Etna wine, an eruption of flavors

Etna is covered with vineyards where a unique wine is produced, with decisive notes. This wine partly owes its taste to the volcano, because here the vine takes root directly in the lava. The volcanic soil of the region has created favorable conditions for the appearance of a variety of grapes with specific organoleptic properties.

The Etna and Wine visit is a gastronomic walk consisting of a tour to discover the volcano and its typical products. You will see beautiful places, such as the Valle del Bove (the scene of recent eruptions) and partly hot craters. The Etna and Wine tour is available all year round.

Etna Volcano Wine Road in Sicily

This visit takes place on the wine road of the Etna volcano in Sicily, to get to know the winemakers, the best tables and taste Italian wines. We invite you to taste the wines of the volcano, with a visit to its territory, accompanied by our French-speaking guide. The rich volcanic soil is ideal for Sicilian wine and wine production. With the local climate, warm and sunny, the vineyards are located in a natural context conducive to the production of exceptional wines, with a pungent flavour.

For the white wine the autochthonous vines are Caricante and Cataratto, the red wine is made with Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, they are all endemic vines. Another interesting grape cultivated in Sicily is Nero d'Avola. In the south of Sicily you must taste Le Cerasuolo di Vittoria, it is a Sicilian wine that takes its name from the city of Vittoria. In Sicily, in addition to the typical native Sicilian vines, there are also Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon.

On the island of Pantelleria a sweet wine is produced, the Passito di Pantelleria, the vine is Zibibbo (also called Moscato d'Alessandria). Contact us for more information, we will be happy to meet you. Our team is at your disposal and accompanies you to make your stay an unforgettable experience.

The Benanti winery was born in 1988 in Castiglione di Sicilia

On the northern slope of Etna, under the name of "Tenuta di Castiglione", thanks to the vision and passion of Giuseppe Benanti. In 1988 Giuseppe Benanti took over the management of vineyards perfectly suited to the production of excellent wines on the north and east slopes of the Etna volcano, taking over the family business that began at the end of the 1800s in Viagrande, on the south-east slope of the volcano.

In the 19th-century Benanti cellar, at the foot of Monte Serra in Viagrande, we welcome wine enthusiasts and professionals every day. Benanti's mission is to give our customers the opportunity to become ambassadors of Etna wines, offering them a tailor-made experience that, through wine, tells about our wine region and its centuries-old tradition. To do this, we accompany our guests through history, climbing the side of the crater of Monte Serra, an ancient eruptive cone of Etna planted with vines, and touching its centuries-old Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines.

We continue the experience by visiting the historic cellar, now transformed into a photo gallery which houses our collection of oil paintings on canvas and the Bottaia, where our red wines mature, to then dive into an in-depth tasting of our labels, accompanied by a selection of flavors from our region. To welcome you our sommeliers, young Etna people trained at the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, the Italian Sommelier Foundation or the Italian Sommelier Association. Visitors who wish to can buy Benanti wines on site and ship them directly in Italy and abroad, using specialized couriers of our choice.

Benanti Vineyard Honors and Awards

Winery of the year 2007 (Gambero Rosso / Slow Wine). Top 100 Wineries 2012 (Wine & Spirits Magazine). 12 "Three Glasses" by Gambero Rosso. Inclusion in the selection "OperaWine - Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers" of Wine Spectator 2015, 2019 and 2020. Numerous "Cinque Grappoli" from the Bibenda guide. Several mentions in Wine Spectator, Decanter, Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, Jancis Robinson, Vinous.com, SOMM Select, Food & Wine Magazine, La Revue du Vin de France, Gourmet Traveler Wine, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Gambero Rosso , Bibenda, Vinibuoni from Italy.

The Cottanera Cellar

In Cottanera for 60 years the winemakers have lived and cultivated the volcanic soil, difficult and at the same time generous, with passion and respect. Entire families work for Cottanera, above all the women who, according to the Etna tradition, have the right delicacy in the care of the vines and in the choice of grapes. Knowledge is passed on from generation to generation.

In the vineyards almost all interventions, including the harvest, are done by hand. For Cottanera, making wine means respecting the territory, trying to make the most of its potential without ever distorting it. Cottanera has created an innovative enological garrison on Etna that focuses on quality and manages to translate the voice of the territory into wine, highlighting the differences that each contrada gives to the grapes.