The success of Grillo wines is one of the most fascinating stories in modern Italian winemaking. In just a couple of decades, this grape variety has gone from being a “simple” ingredient for Marsala to becoming the fresh, elegant, and cosmopolitan face of Sicilian white wines.

The wines produced from Grillo grapes in the 2025 vintage represent the culmination of a slow metamorphosis that began about twenty years ago. Today, they are the flagship white wines of Sicily, capable of challenging the great international wines in terms of freshness, and in some samples, even in terms of longevity. Once not highly regarded, today it is almost always vinified as a single-varietal wine, a “fine wine” that can also develop hydrocarbon notes similar to Riesling with aging.
With its intriguing indigenous history, Grillo fits into the global demand for fresh, mineral, and gastronomic white wines. The consumer of 2026 is looking for less “opulence” and more “drinkability” in white wines, a characteristic that Grillo naturally possesses thanks to its genetics (it is a cross between Cattaratto and Zibibbo).

With the rise in average temperatures over the last ten years in Sicily, producers have changed their approach in the vineyard, both in terms of canopy management, protecting the bunches from direct sunlight to preserve the aromatic precursors (thiols) and thus avoid the “cooked fruit” aroma typical of the old whites of the past, and by adopting early harvests to avoid excessive alcohol peaks and loss of acidity.

Produced in every area of the island, this factor tends to give different profiles in the glass. Although the DOC Sicilia tends to standardize its quality, the differences in soil and climate create very distinct sensory profiles.
Marsala and Trapani Coastal Strip
The historical cradle of Grillo, here it benefits from the extreme proximity to the sea and the often calcareous or sandy soils, giving rise to the most marine and saline versions.
Hilly areas of the Trapani and Palermo hinterland
Moving inland, the altitudes rise and the temperature variations between day and night become more pronounced. The aromatic profiles become more complex.
Central-Southern and South-Eastern Sicily
In this area, the heat is intense and the soils are often characterized by the presence of gypsum and white limestone (“trubi”), or sand. The wines are also rich in exotic fruit and Mediterranean herbs, and the acidity tends to balance the roundness of the fruit.

The difference in Grillo is not only due to the location, but also to the “biotype” used:
Biotype A (fresher): It favors thiol-type aromas (grapefruit, boxwood), typical of cool areas or early harvests.
Biotype B (more structured): It tends to produce more sugars and aromas of honey and ripe fruit, ideal for fuller-bodied versions.

In the wines of the 2025 vintage, the style ranges from “crisp” and immediate steel wines to more complex versions aged on fine lees or in wood. In general, today they mostly have a vibrant and taut profile, as mentioned, the result of agronomic techniques that favor the protection of the aromatic profile from the Sicilian heat, with a better balance between the fruit, spice, and vegetable components.
Fruity notes of pear and peach and hints of tropical fruit predominate, followed by citrus fruits, grapefruit, lemon, and white jasmine flowers in cooler climates, or with vinification in strong reduction, hints of Mediterranean herbs and sage.
The distinctive feature on the palate is the savoriness, with freshness triumphing in the mouth, balanced by a structure that is still of a high level.

Among the 50 Grillos tasted, here are the 15 (in alphabetical order) that received the highest score, and at least as many scored close to 90/100, proving the quality of these wines.

Arianna Occhipinti Serracalcara 2025
Aroma of peach and yellow melon, citrus fruits, and spices; a sip that is balanced between softness and acidity, then lengthens with fruit and hints of almond in the savory finish. 93

Cantine Birgi Feudo Stagnone Riserva 2023
Nose of orange blossom, pear and yellow peach, aromatic herbs and woody notes. Intense and consistent on the palate, with a touch of savoriness in the long, spicy finish. 90

Casa Grazia Zahara Riserva 2024
From the glass, it exudes great fruity and vegetal intensity, with a full mouthfeel and citrus undertones, offering a great balance between warmth, freshness, and savoriness. 92

Donnafugata Passiperduti 2025
Intense and full of floral notes of orange blossom, grapefruit, and spices on the nose and in the mouth, a fresh, pleasantly fruity and savory sip, taut and full. 91

Feudo Disisa Grillo 2025
Varietal nose, floral tones of broom, fruity pear and citrus, then spices and notes of sage, a palate that combines freshness and persistence. 91

Feudo Maccari Ferraru 2024
Full on the nose with ripe yellow fruit, woody and resinous mint, voluminous on the palate, long, consistent, fresh and savory finish. 92

Feudo Montoni Timpa 2025
Intriguing nose that reveals fresh floral and fruity tones, aromatic herbs, full and tense mouthfeel with a long finish. 93

Fina Firma del Tempo 2023
It releases sculpted fragrances of peach and yellow melon, grapefruit, oregano and spices, with a full mouthfeel of fresh softness, very long 92

Florio Vino Florio S.A.
Crisp aromas of broom, white melon, peach, and mint; vibrant and full on the palate, savory and long, with an almond finish. 92

Mandrarossa Bertolino Soprano 2024
Full and dense nose of fresh fruit and vegetables, almond, even more complex and tense on the palate, with a spicy fruit length. 91

Pellegrino Il Salinaro 2025
Fresh floral nose of linden, fruity notes of pear, white melon, and citrus, aromatic herbs; full, long, spicy, and salty on the palate 90

Spadafora Grillo 2025
Nose that plays more on notes of yellow-fleshed fruit, then wisteria, citrus, and herbaceous hints. Enticing with cleanliness and freshness. 91

Tasca Mozia 2025
Beautiful composite expression of white-fleshed fruit, mandarin, spicy notes, and mint, with a saline and full-bodied mouthfeel and an endless finish 93

Tenute Rapitalà Viviri 2025
A varietal expression with a fresh nose of white melon and Mediterranean herbs, and a pleasantly, and appropriately, saline finish. 90

Valle dell’Acate Zagra 2025
Floral nose of orange blossom, fresh and fruity with white pulp and pepper, full and minty expressive mouthfeel, savory trail in the finish. 90