My husband and I are headed to Sicily in May. Itinerary includes Palermo, Agrigento, Syracuse/Ortigia, Mt. Etna, Cefalu. We are touring by car and want to do some wine tasting along the way. We are looking for smaller vineyards where we can 'drop in' for a wine tasting without having to spend a 1/2 day or full day for an 'experience'. Any recommendations? We are trying to figure out if dropping in is even possible or if we need to make reservations for tastings?
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My admittedly limited experience was that it's not like Napa or Sonoma or Willamette where there are signs beckoning thirsty travelers to fully-staffed tasting rooms. We found that we absolutely had to make arrangements in advance with a winery. Often these tastings involved a meal; typically a lunch of varying complexity/size. A few wineries also have lodging so you could combine the two and avoid driving. Here's an example of what I'm talking about, using Sicily's 800lb gorilla, Planeta:
https://www.planeta.it/en/experiences/sciaranuova/vertical-etna/#anchor-book
They don't have the stupid tiered-distributer system and there are wineries all over the island, so restaurants pour awesome local wines BTG. My point is that you don't need to visit a winery to get exposed to a wide spectrum of well-made wines at great prices. Cave Ox is the world's worst kept secret and their cellar has been a bit picked over but I would still visit. Il Buongustaio dell'Etna in Randazzo is an amazing wine bar. Silly selection and prices.
I honestly might start by finding a nice wine bar in Palermo (OJDA?), make friends with the owner and explain what you want to do. Then check winery websites and see what options there are.
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Thanks, Chris. Your comments are so helpful and confirm what we understand. In our previous visits to Italy, we did not do any formal 'wine tastings' but had excellent wines at the smallest most unassuming restaurants where the owners are super friendly and love to talk about the wines and their communities. We were thinking that once we are there, we can talk to locals to get the best recommendations for more 'road less traveled' options. And as you say, wines BTG give us a chance to try many different varietals in all of the regions we are visiting. The Planeta option looks amazing. Rick Steve's also showed in a Sicily video where he stayed at an Agriturismo location, vineyards where families offering lodging and a more home-cooked meal/wine. Perhaps, we will use that option for our next visit since we have already booked out our itinerary, car, and lodging. Much appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts. Any advise re: Mt. Etna tours?
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Terre Nere is near Randazzo and the Blue Ox. I imagine they do a silly good lineup for tastings.
Besides Planeta, Donnafugata has multiple cantinas across the island. If you haven’t had their ben rýe, it’s pretty sublime.
I didn’t do on-site tastings but Vico? Barbagalli? San Lorenzo? Benanti? Pietradolce? There are seriously a ton of really solid wineries that hit my personal palate. Don’t sleep on the whites; Carricante can be mind-blowing. I tend to like crisp, mineral-driven wines FWIW
Your itinerary doesn’t mention Ragusa/baroque hill towns. Those hills are home to fantastic wines and many argue the finest olive oils made in Sicily.