white grape · regional staple
Grillo
western Sicily, Italy
Say it
greel·loh
On the palate
Body
medium full
Acidity
high
Aromatics
pronounced
lemongrapefruitwhite peachmelonsalinityalmond
How you spot it blind: bright citrus with a persistent saline, coastal minerality
The story
First written down · 1873, Sicily
DNA profiling confirmed Grillo as an intentional Catarratto Bianco Comune × Muscat of Alexandria cross, bred around 1873 by Sicilian ampelographer Baron Antonio Mendola to aromatize Marsala wines.
Family tree: Catarratto Bianco Comune × Muscat of Alexandria
Where it lives
Sicily, Italy
Shows up as
still whitesparklingfortifiedsweet