Sicily Wine Tour

Discover Sicily's ancient vineyards and savor its rich winemaking heritage in a captivating journey through the island's diverse wine landscapes.

May 12-17, 2024

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6 days

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Led By Kerin O'Keefe

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$5,590*

Tour Overview

Dive into the rich tapestry of Sicily's winemaking heritage with our Sicily Wine Tour. Journey through sun-drenched vineyards, nestled between rolling hills and the shimmering Mediterranean, as you discover the island's millennia-old viticultural traditions.

Sicily’s position in the center of the Mediterranean Sea has made the island a nexus of cultural exchange for millennia. This rich heritage is matched by an amazingly diverse and complex range of wines and gastronomy. On this wine tour, you will taste and drink the contributions of the different civilizations who have settled here for millennia.

Blessed with a varied range of terroirs, Sicily boasts some of the most distinctive grapes and wines of all of Italy. Old head-trained bush vines of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante grow at high altitude on the slopes of the impressive Etna volcano. In the northeast corner of Sicily, Faro and Mamertino, are considered among the region’s most noteworthy terroirs for fine wine. The southeast part of the island, famous for its unique Sicilian Baroque architecture, is the traditional home to Sicily’s flagship variety Nero d’Avola and Frappato. There’s truly something for everyone in Sicily!

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What's Included

This Sicily wine tour offers expert guidance from Kerin O'Keefe, exclusive vineyard visits, curated meals with wine pairing and unforgetable scenery. 

Instruction by Kerin O'Keefe, author of the best-selling book Barolo and Barbaresco, The King and Queen of Italian Wine and founder of kerinokeefe.com

Professional-level tours and extensive tastings at renowned wine producers

Services of a tour manager, providing customer service and logistics support

3 nights at 4-star UNA Capotaormina Hotel in Taormina, double occupancy

2 nights at 5-star Ortea Palace in the historic center of Syracuse, double occupancy

5 buffet breakfasts

5 gourmet lunches expertly matched with top-quality wines

2 gastronomic dinners expertly matched with top-quality wines

Intimate group size of just 18 people

Price per-person, double occupancy. Download the brochure to get detailed pricing.

Itinerary & Pricing

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Meet Your Expert Guides

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Kerin O'Keefe

Your Wine Tour Instructor

  • Award-winning journalist and author of three books including "Barolo and Barbaresco the King and Queen of Italian Wine"
  • Founder of kerinokeefe.com
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Claudia Cesarino

Your Wine Tour Manager

Claudia Cesarino will assist the instructor as your tour manager. Claudia’s career started in the international hospitality industry and event organizing at the St. Regis Grand Hotel in Rome, and then at Vinopolis in London. She then worked in India for the famous Italian wine company Marchesi Antinori, training staff about wine at the most prestigious hotels. Claudia is also a member of the Italian Sommelier Association and an experienced guide specializing in Italy.

We visit estates such as...

What Makes WSG Educational Tours Unique?

Top wine industry professionals and regional experts as instructors

Service of tour manager offering customer service and logistics support during the trip

Professional-level visits with educational objectives

Tastings of dozens of top-quality wines during estate visit and included meals

Opportunity to meet the producers and local specialists

Access to wine estates often closed to the public

Join a community of fellow wine professionals and serious enthusiasts

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You’ll learn so much more than you would on your own! Internationally renowned instructors are with you at all times throughout the trip, giving fascinating information, making sure you understand the nuances and subtleties of the region and its wines, and responding to all of your questions. 
  • You will have amazing tastings and get access to estates you would not be able to visit on your own.  We have the highest-level contacts in each region. You’ll get to taste fascinating wines at each estate, and you’ll be welcomed as an honored guest. 
  • Your instructor has lived or worked in France, Italy, Spain, or other countries we run tours in, for many years. This has allowed them to cultivate extensive experience and contacts within the region. You’ll get expert information about the wine business there, and an insider’s take on local culture. 
  • You will not have to take chances on hotels or restaurants you don’t know.  With more than a decade of experience in these wine regions, we use our first-hand knowledge to choose the best hotels and restaurants. 
  • Your itinerary makes the most of the limited time you have in the wine region, minimizes driving time, and ensures that you get a thorough overview of the region and its wines. 
  • You don’t have to worry about getting lost (which is easy to do on the backroads of France or Italy!), or about drinking wine at meals. You can just relax, enjoy and learn. 
  • You get the camaraderie and pleasure of exploring the wine region with other like-minded people who are as passionate about wine as you are. 
  • Your instructor and tour manager will translate for the group at all times, so you will have no communication issues, as many winemakers in France, Italy and Spain have limited English. 
Preparing for the trip

Please ask the instructor if there is enough time at the end of the visit for you to make your purchase without impeding the progress and timing of the trip.  Not all estates sell onsite in Bordeaux, for example, very few of the Classified Growth châteaux sell wine at the château (they sell exclusively through wine merchants). It is rare that estates offer international shipping.    

If you would like to purchase wine, we recommend that you ask your government’s customs office for their rules and regulations if you intend to bring wine back into your country, or have wine shipped to you.  

You always have the option of bringing wine home with you in your checked luggage. A specialized wine suitcase is perfect for this. Depending on your home country, this amount will vary. You may have to pay some amount of duty on your wine when you go through customs. Therefore, it's best to check with your local authorities for further information.  

TRANSPORTATION, FOOD & LODGING

We choose 4-star hotels to ensure a high level of comfort, including en-suite bathrooms, WiFi and air conditioning.  It’s very important for the hotels to be well situated in the region, to keep driving time and distance to a minimum. We want to make sure you are as close as possible to the vineyards and other local sites of interest. The hotels we choose also must be large enough to accommodate groups.  

We thoroughly check out each hotel before including it in a trip. In wine regions that are large and spread out, you will only change hotels once or twice during a week-long trip (to keep driving times to a minimum each day), and in other regions, there is only one centrally located hotel.

Organizers & Instructors

Our trip instructors are among the most renowned and respected wine professionals in the wine business. They are also professional wine educators who are absolutely passionate about the region and its wines.  

You can see a full biography of the instructor for each trip on the corresponding page, so you can know exactly with whom you'll be touring and learning.  Most are native English speakers (American or British), and all other instructors speak English fluently. Our instructors have that special combination of high-level wine expertise, personal warmth, friendliness, and excellent leadership skills. They'll accompany you every day, throughout the trip, and will be able to answer all of your questions about the wines of the region you’ll be visiting (and about wine in general).  

Booking a trip

Yes, we strongly encourage you to purchase a very comprehensive travel insurance package once you have paid your deposit for a Study Trip.  Note that many plans require you to purchase the insurance very soon after your deposit payment (some require it within 14 days).  

There are any number of things that can happen that can cause cancellation or interruption of package travel, and travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur as a result.  You can find travel insurers easily and there are sites where you can compare policies (for example, Insure My Trip).  

Be sure to read policies very carefully before you purchase.  Include your airfare, train fare, and any other expenses you will have in addition to the price of the study trip itself.  We highly recommend getting a “cancel for any reason” policy, which offers the best coverage. Travel experts say “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” so don’t skimp on this important coverage!

Have a different question? Feel free to contact us.

See Our Other Destinations

Our industry-recognized educational wine tours offer intensive, professional-level education within wine regions of France, Italy, Spain and beyond. Led by prominent wine professionals and journalists, our itineraries and curricula provide a backstage pass to the most celebrated wine regions.

2024 Educational Wine Tours Destinations & Dates

Portugal

Apr 7 - 12, 2024

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May 5 - 10, 2024

Sicily

May 12 - May 17, 2024

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May 12 - 17, 2024

Mosel

May 26 - 31, 2024

Champagne

May 28 - June 01, 2024

Piedmont

Jun 02 - 07, 2024

Rhône Valley

Jun 16 - 21, 2024

Campania

Oct 13 - 18, 2024

Bordeaux

Oct 20 - 25, 2024

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