The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Sicily

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Pantelleria DOC

Zibibbo grown in low bush vines in hollows dug into volcanic soil (a UNESCO listed farming system) on a windswept island closer to Africa than to Palermo. Passito di Pantelleria is one of the world's great sweet wines: amber, with dried apricot, candied orange, fig, dates, honey and a saline, bitter herb finish that keeps it lifted. Dry Zibibbo whites, aromatic and mineral, are increasingly common. Donnafugata's Ben Ryé is the famous one; Marco De Bartoli's Bukkuram is the connoisseur's pick.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Donnafugata
Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé
Apricot, orange peel and honey with a long saline finish; the reference bottle and easy to find.
$40 to $50Wine-Searcher
Marco De Bartoli
Passito di Pantelleria Bukkuram Sole d'Agosto
Deeper and more savory, dates and dried fig with a nutty, oxidative edge.
$50 to $65Wine-Searcher
Donnafugata
Pantelleria Zibibbo Secco Lighea
Dry Zibibbo, all orange blossom and sage on the nose, bone dry and saline on the palate; note some vintages carry Sicilia DOC.
$20 to $25Wine-Searcher