How to Visit Gambino Winery (Gambino Vini), Sicily
Last Updated on 27th October 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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Nestled on the side of Mount Etna, overlooking the Ionian Sea, in a place where the rich and fertile volcanic soil produces lush green vines and plump grapes are baked in the intense Italian sun, Gambino Winery is one of the closest vineyards to Taormina where you can sample some Sicilian wine for yourself, all the while enjoying enchanting views over the undulated landscape all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.
Please note that Gambino winery is known as Gambino Vini in Italian.
Contents
Introducing Sicilian wine
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and is famed for its Roman ruins, crystal clear waters, unique architecture (the Baroque churches of Noto and Modic are UNESCO listed), and as being home to Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe.
Before embarking on a trip to Sicily, you may well realise that you’ve never had the chance to sample Sicilian wine before. And this is for one simple reason: prior to around 30 years ago, almost all of the wine produced in Sicily was exported- no label- to be mixed with other Italian wines.
However, Sicily is actually one of the biggest wine-producing regions in Italy, with a staggering 98,000 hectares of vineyards! In fact, Sicily is home to over 65 native varieties of grape, though the most famous is probably the red Nero d’Avola.
A history of Gambino winery
The story of Gambino dates back to the 1978 when a Sicilian couple, Mr. Vittorio Raciti and his wife Ms. Maria Gambino, decided to purchase a neglected patch of agricultural land on the side of Mount Etna.
In the beginning, everyone thought that the idea was terrible and that the couple would never be able to make anything of the vineyard. And yet the couple believed in their idea and so spent the time and money on terracing the hillside and cultivating the vines.
The couple spent most of the 1980s and 1990s cultivating the mountainside to create an estate of 8 hectares. Fast forward half a century and Gambino is one of the most successful vineyards in Sicily.
The Gambino experience
Once you have arrived at Gambino, you’ll be greeted with a cool and crisp glass of white wine, which is the welcome drink (in total, wine tastings include four generously poured glasses of wine).
You’ll then be greeted by one of the expert vintners where you’ll be given a brief introduction of the vineyard (and if you’re anything like us, you’ll probably be recovering from a little bit of car sickness from the drive up)!
Nevertheless, the view from the tasting house over the lush green vineyards and onto the Ionian Sea below is simply stunning. After the introduction, you’ll be guided to your table where you’re served a further three glasses of the vineyard’s most popular wine (another glass of white wine and two reds).
Depending on which wine tasting package you’ve chosen, you’ll be served various appetisers- local cheeses, olives-, cooked vegetables, and (much to my surprise!) a boiled egg. There is a vegetarian option and as a few of the group were vegetarian, we all had the vegetarian plates.
After your tasting, you’ll have the chance to visit the Gambino winery store. As well as all of the wines, there’s olive oil for sale, as well as other local products. The wine was pretty unique and so it’s safe to say that we left with a couple of bottles to enjoy in our apartment for the rest of our stay.
How to visit Gambino winery
The main thing to know is that there is unfortunately no public transportation to reach Gambino, and if you are like we were and are staying in Taormina, then it’s pretty far away. There are therefore a few options to reach the vineyard.
The first is to obviously rent a car (check car rental comparison prices here). As none of us really wanted to be the designated driver and miss out on the wine tasting, we booked a taxi transfer between Taormina and Gambino instead.
The last option is to book a guided tour that will take you to see Gambino as part of a longer day trip. This tour is one of the more popular ones and will take you from Taormina to Gambino. Find full details here.
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