UNDER THE VOLCANO

Sicilian wines have evolved from overdone and stylised a few decades ago to energetic and characterful today. JamesSuckling.com takes the plunge into the island's diverse terroir-driven offerings.

- CLAIRE SUCKLING

Walking through the fine, dusty sand in the vineyard of Contrada Pianodario on the northern slope of Mount Etna feels like what the first steps on the moon must have been for the crew of Apollo 11. The soils contain an element of the unknown: What sort of vines could possibly take root in such an ashen, alien land? How, aside from olives and vines, does anything even grow here?

Although we've emerged not from a space capsule but a van built to tackle Sicily's rocky and gravel-covered tracks, the effect is the same: We've arrived at ground zero of a seemingly extraplanetary wonder that can't be described until you've seen and absorbed it for yourself - Sicily's win-escape, in all its glory. It is a fitting setting for what's currently being produced in this volcanic region, except the loose soil seems like an oenological false flag. The wines that spring from here are tight and focused, with an often beautiful mineral edge that belies the harsh landscape.

And while Etna is leading the charge for gaining greater recognition for Sicilian wines with some of its otherworldly offerings, James Suckling has noticed a real step-up in quality wine-making from the southern Italian island. He first came here in 1983 and has returned frequently, tasting Sicilian wines and seeing their progress over the years. The overdone and stylised offerings of the 1990s and early 2000s have given way to wines with outstanding energy and character.

From pure-fruited nero d'avola-based reds to layered, complex whites from grillo to structured, tense nerello mascalese as well as mineral carricante, today's wines all show greater distinctiveness from the regions that gave birth to them, such as Noto and Vittoria.