Sicily's surprise: high-quality white wines

Consumers who have discovered the wines of Sicily have almost certainly popped the cork on a bottle of nero d'avola, the indigenous red grape variety for which the island is best-known. But what surprised me during a recent trip was the astonishing variety in white wines.

Sure, there's chardonnay — it's currently much in vogue in Sicily, both as a stand-alone variety and as a blending component — but the wines that interested me the most were made from grapes like grillo, grecanico, carricante, catarratto and insolia (sometimes called inzolia or ansonica).

Even though Sicily's whites aren't well-known, white grapes account for about two-thirds of the island's vineyard acreage. That shouldn't come as a surprise, because white wines are the natural complement to Sicily's seafood-centered cuisine. Tuna, swordfish and sardines are ubiquitous. And with its warm, sunny climate, the island has an incredible array of produce.

For years, most of the wines — red and white — weren't nearly as exciting as the food. The industry was dominated by bulk wine production, mostly by big co-ops. Even now, most Sicilian wine is shipped out in tankers as blending wine used to beef up wimpy wines made elsewhere.

But the number of small, quality-minded wineries is on the rise. These operations have improved what's in the bottle by adopting more exacting viticultural practices and more sophisticated winemaking.

Take catarratto, a white variety that makes up more than a third of Sicily's vineyard acreage. It's often used in bland bulk wines, and it's sometimes a component of the fortified Marsala. But when grown and made with care, catarratto can produce wines that are rich and peachy, with some minerality.

Tasca d'Almerita, for example, makes a wine called Leone d'Almerita that's 85 percent catarratto; the 2007 ($20) is crisp and citrusy, with white peach, Golden Delicious apple and a hint of grapefruit. The 2007 Donnafugata Anthilia ($15), a 50-50 blend of catarratto and insolia, is zippy and bright, with flavors of white peach and tangerine, accented by mineral and a hint of almond. The 2006 Ajello Majus ($10) pairs catarratto with grillo for a wine that's a little fleshier, with bright pear, lime and white peach flavors.

As for stand-alone grillo, the 2007 Feudo Arancio Grillo ($10) is a little spicy, with fresh flavors of citrus and white stone fruit. The 2007 Valle dell'Acate Zagra ($24), which is 70 percent grillo and 30 percent insolia, is fragrant and a little floral, with rich white peach wrapped around a firm core of acidity.

I tasted a number of whites that featured insolia. The 2006 Feudo Principi di Butera Insolia ($14) is rich and bright, with citrus, white stone fruit and hints of mineral and almond paste. The 2007 Poggio Bidini Insolia ($14.50) is fragrant, fresh and rich, with white peach flavors, while the 2007 Valle dell'Acate Insolia ($18), produced by the same winery, is a touch more reserved and racy, with a long finish.

The 2006 Cusumano Angimbe ($14), a blend of insolia and chardonnay, is exotic and fairly tropical, with an underlying note of mineral. And the 2007 Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali Bianco ($13) is a blend of insolia, catarratto and grecanico that's fresh, racy and aromatic, with citrus, white peach, mineral and a hint of almond.

Grecanico figures prominently in the white wines of Planeta. The 2006 Planeta La Segreta ($16) is mostly grecanico, along with some chardonnay, viognier and fiano; it's rich and slightly honeyed, with peach and lime peel notes. Planeta won international acclaim for its rich, concentrated chardonnay (the 2006 is $39).

In general, you'll find these wines only at better wine shops and on adventurous restaurant wine lists. But if you see one of them — or a Sicilian white that I haven't mentioned — take a chance. Many come with price tags that invite experimentation.