How about a trip to Sicily? Thanks to a certain recent media sensation, you might immediately picture a romantic getaway with your significant other and another couple you’re “friendly” with, soaking up the Mediterranean sun at a glamorous seaside resort. Or perhaps you envision a family vacation—three generations rediscovering their roots while making time to mingle with some of the charming locals.
     This version of Sicily, however, is very different from the one we have come to know at KLWM. While both evoke the wild beauty of the island’s countryside, the similarities thankfully end there. What keeps us going back is the passion of Sicily’s vignaioli and the intoxicating aromas of its wines. And now, with this six-bottle sampler, your own Sicilian adventure awaits.
     Not far from the stunning Baroque palazzos of Noto lies Riofavara, where proprietor Massimo Padova bottles savory, chiseled Nero d’Avola and a bone-dry Moscato Bianco whose floral, citrusy aromatics and saline nuances paint a colorful picture of the chalky white coastal hills that produced it.
     To the west, on the dusty outskirts of sunbaked Vittoria, you will taste one of the island’s most delightful surprises: Alessandro Portelli’s exuberantly perfumed Frappato. From bush-trained vines in parched clay soils, Alessandro crafts a bright, playful rosso redolent of wild strawberries and lavender.
     Off to Mount Etna, where the soil is ashy black and everything seems to revolve around the unpredictable crater ominously steaming overhead. The volcano’s southern face is home to Grottafumata’s tiny ancient-vine plots, from which Mauro Cutuli coaxes a laser-focused Carricante reminiscent of saffron and wild broom. He also makes one of the most unexpected—and delicious—bottlings of Grenache we have tasted, the high elevation providing lift to this luxurious, unmistakably Mediterranean red.
     Our last stop is in Solicchiata, where Rosa and Carmelo Vecchio master a silky expression of old-vine Nerello Mascalese that reflects the cooler northern side of Etna. Delicate with shimmering red fruit, their Sciare Vive rosso nonetheless carries smoky overtones and just a touch of gritty volcanic stone.