Sicilian Wine Tasting
Strenuous Activity
Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.
According to the "Oxford Companion to Wine," Mount Etna's "hilly and mountainous terrain with poor soil, intense summer heat and low rainfall" make Sicily "ideal" for viticulture. And, why not? Sicilians learned long ago to work with their environment.
Wine production in Sicily has been around since 800 B.C.-that's longer than France and even the rest of Italy. However, with all of its lengthy viticultural history, Sicilian wines have yet to capture the hearts and palates of the rest of the world. Maybe this well-kept secret will get out once you've tasted wines from one of the famous estates located in the Etna region.
After putting on your walking shoes and grabbing your camera you'll board the coach bound for a winery known for its sublime wines.
Once you arrive, you'll be escorted around the grounds. During your tour you'll learn that Sicily produces more grapes than any other wine region in Italy and more than Australia, New Zealand and Hungary combined. Then, you'll sit down for a sampling of wines that compare with the best of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa.
Mount Etna has erupted 300 times since it was first recorded 3,000 years ago-a longer written record of eruptions than any other volcano in the world. And on December 14, 1991 an eruption on the volcano's east flank caused lava to flow down the slope and stop within less than a mile from the town of Zafferana. The lava streamed down for 473 days-the most expansive flank eruption at Etna in the previous three centuries.
When you disembark near the lava field in the 11-mile-wide Valle del Bove, you can see evidence of the 1991 to 1993 eruption. Over three hundred millions cubic meters flowed down this side of the volcano before United States Marines and Italian volcanologists used explosives and large blocks of concrete to create a diversion channel.
After you've gazed upon this tremendous sight you'll climb back aboard your coach and return to the pier.
Points of interest
Sicilian Food or Wine
Schedule
Special Notes
Guests have to walk about 500 m uphill to reach the winery
Exceptional Value
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Strenuous Activity
Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.
According to the "Oxford Companion to Wine," Mount Etna's "hilly and mountainous terrain with poor soil, intense summer heat and low rainfall" make Sicily "ideal" for viticulture. And, why not? Sicilians learned long ago to work with their environment.
Wine production in Sicily has been around since 800 B.C.-that's longer than France and even the rest of Italy. However, with all of its lengthy viticultural history, Sicilian wines have yet to capture the hearts and palates of the rest of the world. Maybe this well-kept secret will get out once you've tasted wines from one of the famous estates located in the Etna region.
After putting on your walking shoes and grabbing your camera you'll board the coach bound for a winery known for its sublime wines.
Once you arrive, you'll be escorted around the grounds. During your tour you'll learn that Sicily produces more grapes than any other wine region in Italy and more than Australia, New Zealand and Hungary combined. Then, you'll sit down for a sampling of wines that compare with the best of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa.
Mount Etna has erupted 300 times since it was first recorded 3,000 years ago-a longer written record of eruptions than any other volcano in the world. And on December 14, 1991 an eruption on the volcano's east flank caused lava to flow down the slope and stop within less than a mile from the town of Zafferana. The lava streamed down for 473 days-the most expansive flank eruption at Etna in the previous three centuries.
When you disembark near the lava field in the 11-mile-wide Valle del Bove, you can see evidence of the 1991 to 1993 eruption. Over three hundred millions cubic meters flowed down this side of the volcano before United States Marines and Italian volcanologists used explosives and large blocks of concrete to create a diversion channel.
After you've gazed upon this tremendous sight you'll climb back aboard your coach and return to the pier.
Points of interest
Sicilian Food or Wine
Schedule
Special Notes
Guests have to walk about 500 m uphill to reach the winery