Italy — wine

Pantelleria

Italy's most remote and dramatically volcanic wine island between Sicily and Tunisia, producing the legendary Passito di Pantelleria from sun-dried Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes on ancient basalt volcanic soils. The island's extreme wind requires the alberello pantesco training system where vines are trained into small bushes almost on the ground. Passito di Pantelleria — golden, intensely aromatic, and beautifully balanced between sweetness and acidity — is one of Italy's greatest dessert wines.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Outstanding Pantelleria vintage; Zibibbo grapes achieved perfect concentration for Passito; dry Muscat showed extraordinary aromatic intensity.
2021 Classic vintage; island conditions were ideal for the sun-drying (appassimento) of Zibibbo grapes.
2020 Benchmark year; Donnafugata Ben Ryé and Murana Martingana received the highest critical scores of the decade.
2019 Outstanding vintage; Passito di Pantelleria of extraordinary complexity and balance from all producers.
2018 Solid vintage; dry Muscat and Passito both showed excellent varietal character from the volcanic basalt.