Marzamemi: Val di Noto Wine Tour, Wine Tasting & Aperitif

About This Experience

Ramaddini is a family winery at Pachino, a few minutes inland from the fishing village of Marzamemi at the south-eastern tip of Sicily, and its Val di Noto tasting is the most straightforward way to taste Nero d'Avola country at the source. The visit pairs a guided tour of the winery with four estate wines and a long plate of Sicilian food.

The tour covers the history of the estate and the production cycle from vine to bottle, then moves to the tasting of four labels: Nassa, Note Nere, Perla Marina and Al Hamen. The reds are built on Nero d'Avola, the grape that takes its name from the town of Avola a short drive up the coast.

The food is generous for a tasting: fried fava beans and chickpeas, bread with the farm's own extra virgin olive oil, cured meats, cheeses with jams, bruschetta with dried Pachino tomatoes, Modica chocolate and cooked grape must. Guests who have done several winery tastings call the pairings the best of the lot.

The visit lasts about an hour, runs in English and Italian, and the operator asks you to book at least two days ahead. You get yourself to the winery entrance at Contrada Lettiera near Pachino; it is roughly an hour from Syracuse by car and an easy add-on to a day in Noto or Marzamemi.

Highlights

• Guided tour of a family winery at Pachino, inland from Marzamemi in the Val di Noto
• Four estate wines: Nassa, Note Nere, Perla Marina and Al Hamen
• A full Sicilian pairing plate: fava and chickpea fritters, cured meats, cheeses, bruschetta, Modica chocolate
• Nero d'Avola tasted a few miles from the town that gave the grape its name
• About an hour, in English or Italian, easily combined with Noto or Marzamemi

What's Included

• ✓ Guided tour of the winery with its history and production cycle
• ✓ Tasting of 4 estate wines
• ✓ Sicilian food pairing (fried fava beans and chickpeas, bread with the farm's olive oil, cured meats, cheeses with jams, bruschetta with dried tomatoes, Modica chocolate, cooked must)
• ✓ Commentary from the winery staff

Not Included

• Transport to the winery

Good to Know & Caveats

• Book at least two days in advance; the estate confirms each visit.
• The visit lasts about an hour, so it fits before lunch in Marzamemi or after a morning in Noto.
• You get yourself to the winery entrance at Contrada Lettiera, Pachino; there is no pick-up.
• The pairing plate is substantial, close to a light lunch.
• Summer afternoons are very hot in the south-east; a late-morning slot is more comfortable.

Meeting Point

The entrance of the Ramaddini winery, Contrada Lettiera 1, Pachino, a few minutes inland from Marzamemi.