Sicily Wine Tour

The first part of the Sicily wine tour is thought to be in Palermo, which will give you the right vibe to start this tour. You can profit from visiting the highlights of this magnificent city. Still, I suggest organizing a dinner (and a cooking class if interested) at Gabriella Garajo’s house, an outstanding chef!

You will stay in the heart of central Palermo, the Kalsa district, in an environment with a unique atmosphere where history, art, and design meet; the Hotellerie B&B is designed to offer the best possible hospitality.

The rooms are housed within the ancient Arab walls that have protected the city since the 9th century, the walls of the Foro Italico. The property overlooks the sea near Porta Felice, the historic access to the Cassaro, now called Corso Vittorio  Emanuele. A solarium and relaxing pool are on the lovely terrace facing the sea.

To note: The B&B represents the new generation of management. There is no reception, but is always somebody h24 ready to support and help; you can check in at any time of the day using the 24-hour self-check-in service.

Here we are in the history of the Tasca d’Almerita family, which dates back to 1830 when the brothers Lucio and Carmelo bought the land, a green oasis in the heart of Sicily, the Sclafani countryside.
The family started making wine here after the two wars when Sicily was yet to be known for its agricultural products and the variety of its territories. In 1959, Perricone and Nero d’Avola vines created the well-known “Riserva del Conte” – later called Rosso del Conte, an icon of the estate – and then Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the first to be produced in Sicily, opened the door to earning the high reputation abroad that still have now.

Hospitality at Regaleali will be a charming, pure, authentic experience between lakes and hills, wheat fields, and olive trees, where wine has been made for two hundred years. You will lodge at Case Grandi, the old family property. All the rooms gather around the old courtyard with the big magnolia tree at the center. The products and flavors from the vegetable garden are the best guides in understanding the tradition of a cuisine built on ancient recipes.
At the estate, of course, wine tasting is a must. But whether you hike among the vineyards, take bike rides, follow the work in the fields, relax, or follow a cooking class and sip a glass of wine, the welcome silence of nature will surround you in a magical atmosphere.

We begin with the words of the Planeta Family:

We have always combined our passion for Sicily with a desire to warmly welcome those who wish to discover it.  Because of this, our wineries have never merely been places to produce wine but have also been devoted to hospitality, linked to cooking, nature, and the local culture. 

For your third stopover of our Sicily wine Tour, we chose this well-known Sicilian wine producer built on a long agricultural tradition from 1500 through 17 generations in the area between Sambuca di Sicilia and Menfi (Agrigento district). You can visit one of the six cantines with various wines here, including Nero d’Avola, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, and Grecanico.

The history of the Baglio Occhipinti estate is the story of a family which was always linked to the production of wine and the territory, over ten hectares of the Ragusa countryside in south-eastern Sicily.
On the one hand, there is Fausta, a landscape architect passionate about botany and watercolor painting, with a genuine passion for cooking. Her taste and style in transforming this ancient 17th-century farmhouse into a place of hospitality make her the perfect hostess.
On the other hand, there is her sister Arianna, who is fully involved in the management of her own company “Arianna Occhipinti,” in the cultivation of the vineyards of the Baglio property, strictly organic, designed to enhance the territory and the Cerasuolo di Vittoria, in the Val di Noto, the very heart of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.

Everything here speaks of the history of the Occhipinti family, who cultivate traditions and the land, creating wine, with strict ethics on environmental values, because for Fausta and Arianna, there is no other way of doing agriculture other than respecting nature. Opening the doors to their guests means sharing all of this with them.