Grillo | Grape variety

The late-ripening white wine variety Grillo is now mainly native to Sicily. However, this was not always the case. It only arrived on the peninsula at the end of the 19th century after the great phylloxera disaster from the Italian province of Apulia. During the phylloxera infestation, most of the native varieties there were destroyed, so farmers now turned to particularly resistant varieties, which include Grillo. In Sicily, it is still cultivated today in all regions. On the mainland, it is still permitted in the province of Brindisi. However, in addition to Italy, there are also some other countries that grow Grillo. For example, there are small growing areas in Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

Grillo is a white wine variety that yields a pale yellow wine. It was first used in Sicily in the famous dessert wine Marsala, for which it is still the basis today. Generally, its wine is considered to be very rich in extract and alcohol. It contains light tannins and today is mostly used as a blend with the Catarratto Bianco comune, Catarratto Bianco lucido and Inzolia varieties.

Apparently, the grape variety Grillo is a cross between the varieties Muscat d'Alexandrie and Catarratto Bianco. This was confirmed by a study in 2010. - Gerardo