Five day Sicily wine tour based in Palermo and Menfi

At a glance

Trip Summary

On day one of your Essential West of Sicily wine tour you will be met by your English speaking, private driver at the airport in Palermo who will deliver you to your hotel in the Menfi wine region for the next two nights, La Foresteria Planeta Wine Resort.  Once you have checked in you will have the rest of the day to relax at the hotel, take a stroll or enjoy a glass of wine or two. Enjoy dinner at your leisure.

Day two of your tour is a full day wine tour focused on the wines of the Menfi Wine Region. The first winery you will visit (approximately one hour driving from the hotel) is the Mandrarossa Winery where you will be warmly welcomed for a visit which includes an overview of the area and a memorable visit to the wine cellar, with its spectacular views over the vineyard towards the sea. Here you will enjoy a tasting of four wines from the estate. Choose four wines from a varied selection of both white and red wine, the Estate’s rosé and white Mosso, all deliciously paired with small samples of food.

Your second visit of the day will be at the Planeta Ulmo Winery. The Planeta family are known as one of the founding pioneer families in wine over the last 30 years in Sicily and it was in Ulmo where their story and their journey began. In the mid 1980’s, they planted the first vineyards around the 16th-century family Baglio (walled country estate)  ‘an enchanted place full of memories from which we wanted to start anew’. The tasting experience at Planeta is designed to highlight the importance of the terroir and demonstrate how this is reflected in the complexity of the wine. It is a tasting which showcases the excellence of the Planeta winery and the achievements they have made in their various individual territories through oenological research carried out with patience and pride.  The tour includes a visit to the vineyards and the winery, a guided tasting of four cru wines and a tasting of three olive oils along with a tasting of local products and regional specialities.

The last stop of the day will be at Di Giovanna Winery, a family owned organic winery situated between Sambuca di Sicilia, in the province of Agrigento, and Contessa Entellina, in the province of Palermo.  Di Giovanna wines and extra virgin olive oil are an expression of Sicilian culture and you will appreciate the opportunity to visit the estate and see the entire organic production process from the vineyard to  the cellar.  The Di Giovanna family produce wines from both native Sicilian grapes and  international varieties as well as their own extra virgin olive oil.   Enjoy a tasting of five wines, extra virgin olive oil and delicious regional small dishes.

After the visits your driver and guide will take you back to the hotel so that you can enjoy your evening and dinner at leisure.

Day three of your stay in Sicily offers the opportunity to visit two excellent wineries in Marsala. After a breakfast you will check out from the hotel and meet your driver.

No visit to Marsala would be complete without a visit to the Florio Winery and this will be your first stop today. Enjoy a guided tour of the cellars and a tasting of four new Florio Marsala wines accompanied by small plates.

The next stop will be at Donnafugata winery  where you will enjoy a guided tour of the winery and a tasting of four wines – a journey through their unique territories and grape varieties. The journey begins with a visit to the historic cellars, passing from the underground barrel cellar to the Sala delle Botti (Hall of Casks). You will then be invited to taste four wines which have been chosen to represent the Donnafugata vineyards situated all over Sicily;  from Contessa Entellina to Vittoria, from Etna to Pantelleria.  You will discoiver native grape varieties such as Grillo and Nero d’Avola,  Nerello Mascalese and Zibibbo.  The last stop on the journey is the Vino Icona Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria DOC.

Following this visit your driver will take you to your hotel in Palermo.  We recommend dropping your bags at the hotel and heading into the city for lunch and to explore. Enjoy your afternoon and evening at leisure.

Day four of your West of Sicily tour is in Palermo, a city full of incredible Arabic architecture and with a burgeoning gastronomy scene.  Today you will visit the city aboard a unique three-wheeled “Moto Ape” car.  You will explore the heart of Palermo’s traditional markets, such as U Capu and Ballarò where, together with your official guide,  you will stop to taste traditional foods and dive into the flavours of the colourful, local food scene.   Your guide will point out such sites as the Quattro Canti, an important meeting point of the main streets of the city and you will admire the most beautiful churches which dominate the city.  During the tour there will be several stops for an authentic Palermertian gastronomic experience; expect to taste delicacies such as Sicilian Cannoli, typical street food and other specialties. The last part of the experience will be dedicated to visiting the Monastery of Santa Caterina, where you can taste the typical sweets which are still prepared today according to the traditional recipe of the nuns who have lived in the monastery for many years.

The remainder of the day will be yours to enjoy at leisure.

Day five is departure day. Check out after breakfast and meet your driver who will take you to the airport in plenty of time to board your return flight.

Outline Itinerary

Package Prices

• These prices are per person and based on two people travelling together and sharing a twin or double room.
• These are realistic guide prices, based on travel in standard season (usually April to the end of October). Discounts often apply for travel out of season (usually November to the end of March) or if there are more than two of you travelling together. Please let us know your preferred travel dates for a definitive price.
• Although we propose specific hotels as part of our standard packages, we enjoy excellent relationships and preferential rates at the majority of the hotels in each of our featured destinations. Therefore if you would prefer to stay in a different hotel, this can be arranged. Please contact us for the relevant supplements/discounts.
• Other room grades are available at most of the hotels that we work with. Just let us know which hotel you prefer and we will send you the relevant supplements for the various room grades.
• Single supplements and extra night prices are available upon request.

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