Mount Etna: Winery Tour and Tasting

About This Experience

A cellar-door tasting at one of the best-known estates on Etna's north slope: Gambino Vini above Linguaglossa, at around 900 metres, with a view down the mountain to the sea. There is no transport, so you drive, take a taxi or come with a driver, and in exchange you pay for the wine rather than the minibus.

The format is the premium tasting. A welcome glass of white on arrival, then a sommelier-led tour of the winery along a walkway above the barrels, covering the history of the estate, how the wines are made, and how to pair them. After the tour you sit down to five current-vintage wines.

The food is closer to a light lunch than a tasting plate: a hard-boiled egg, the estate's olive oil, preserves in oil, Sicilian cheeses and cold cuts, a seasonal soup or velouté, grilled sausage with baked potatoes and spinach, and a mignon cannolo to finish, with bread and still water. Allow about two hours.

Tastings are scheduled, not drop-in: you state a start time when you book, and the winery confirms it. Wine is served to over-18s only, and there is a no-wine Youth ticket for anyone in the party who does not drink. This is the tour to book if you have a car and want the estate rather than the transfer.

Highlights

• Sommelier-guided tour of the Gambino winery on a walkway above the barrel hall
• Welcome glass of white, then five current-vintage Etna wines
• Food that runs from cheeses and cold cuts to a hot course and a mignon cannolo
• Terrace at about 900 metres on Etna's north-eastern slope with views to the coast
• No transfer in the price: you pay for the estate, not the minibus

What's Included

• ✓ Guided tour of the winery
• ✓ Welcome glass of white wine
• ✓ Five glasses of current-vintage wines
• ✓ Hard-boiled egg, Gambino extra-virgin olive oil and preserves in oil
• ✓ Sicilian cheeses and cold cuts
• ✓ Seasonal soup or velouté
• ✓ Grilled sausage with baked potatoes and spinach
• ✓ Mignon Sicilian cannolo with ricotta
• ✓ Bread and still water

Not Included

• Transport to and from the winery
• Tips

What to Bring

• A layer: the terrace is at 900 metres and cooler than the coast, even in summer

Good to Know & Caveats

• State your preferred start time when booking; the estate schedules tastings rather than running them continuously, and the booking needs the winery's confirmation.
• Wine is served to over-18s only. Under-18s must be with a parent, and non-drinkers should book the Youth ticket for the same experience without wine.
• No transport is included. You need a car, a taxi or a driver to reach Linguaglossa; a designated driver is the sober answer.
• The food is substantial enough to count as lunch; plan the rest of the day accordingly.
• Allow about two hours on site, plus the drive: Linguaglossa is roughly half an hour from the Taormina coast and about an hour from Catania.

Meeting Point

Gambino Vini, Contrada Petto Dragone, Linguaglossa, at the winery itself on Etna's north-eastern slope.