Since Roman times, engineers, architects, merchants, and politicians have entertained the idea of building a bridge linking Sicily to the Italian mainland at the Strait of Messina. Most recently, former Prime Minister Berlusconi planned a multi-billion Euro program to bring the plan to fruition, but the project was once again abandoned in 2013. Sicilians, for the most part, breathed a sigh of relief.
       Political and economic arguments aside, the prospect of a Sicily-Calabria bridge makes little sense. After all, Sicily is like its own continent, isolated from the rest of Italy both geographically as well as culturally. The largest of Italian regions has a history so rich and an identity so strong that it can, and should, exist independently of the rest of the country.
       Even in terms of wine, one cannot compare Sicilian wines to the rest of Italian wines. There is no one Sicilian wine; the land is so varied in its terroirs, with such a wealth of different grapes and styles, that generalizing is virtually impossible.
       Featuring six wines from three distinct regions of Sicily, this sampler offers an introduction to the island’s copious riches. You will taste the salty influence of the sea in Riofavara’s exotic, floral-scented sparkler and their “Marzaiolo” blend from the chalky white soils of the southeast coast near Ispica. Then, heading west to Vittoria, the purity, freshness, and ethereal aromatics of two local grapes—Calabrese and Frappato—are on full display. Finally, climbing the ashy slopes of Mount Etna, you will smell the smoky lava in two wildly diverse expressions of Europe’s most active volcano.
       Sicily has it all—it is a world unto itself. So pull a cork, pour a glass, and explore the Sicilian continent.