Etna Urban Winery — Attraction in San Gregorio di Catania

A lovely way to spend half a day in the Catania area! Admittedly, the main reason we chose this experience was because it was the closest winery to our Airbnb offering a guided tour and tastings with food - and because of all the great reviews. We didn’t want to drive more than 15 minutes considering we would be drinking and thus we found this place. Turned out to be a great choice!

We did the guided winery tour this morning followed by four wine tastings paired with four small plates and concluding with a very unique risotto to round out our lunch. Our guide, Sicily native and sommelier Angela, was fabulous - full of energy and enthusiasm for the wines of Etna. She is truly engaging and you can feel her passion throughout the tour and into the tasting. The experience lasted about four hours, which we really appreciated. It meant that you don’t feel rushed - you can really enjoy the atmosphere and experience. It’s a unique place, an urban winery located next to the motorway with the sounds of cars accompanying the tour. The well preserved cellar and adjoining interior space was gorgeous - it felt a bit like being in a museum. Their dining room for the tasting was surprisingly modern but very well done - a big bright open space with tables set for each group. One of the owners, Nicola, spoke about each wine we tasted and you could also feel his passion for this ambitious project of theirs. The food was great and the wines paired wonderfully with each course. We felt that this was excellent value considering everything you get for the price - tour, wine, food, plenty of water and even espresso when we...

Etna Urban Winery was an excellent way to spend an evening in Sicily. We found them online and booked through their website which was very easy to use. They also offer a shuttle bus service which was very useful and if you are staying in Catania centre it was a convenient way to get there as it is just off a main road. All the staff were very friendly, including a lovely pair of dogs that kept an eye on everything. In particular our guide Angela was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. Etna Urban Winery are wonderfully new to the world of modern wine and yet the winery has so much history to it which was a great thing to see. We were shown the current vineyard as well as their new vines and parts of the vineyard of old. They only have one wine currently in their production but it is a very good wine. We were able to try their first wine as well as some other examples of Etna wines there. The experience was tremendous with great wine, great staff and great food. Would absolutely recommend that to anyone who wants to enjoy a new winery that is doing...

We had a great time with Angela who told us a lot about the history of the beautiful vineyard, the specifics and the process of wine making in urban vineyards. It was fascinating and Angela has a real gift for story-telling. Everyone in the vineyard made us feel very welcome and comfortable from the time we arrived. The food was really delicious and the wines perfectly paired and also very good. And beautifully presented, too. We didn’t expect it to be soo good for the price we paid. The vineyard and the house are centuries old and authentic, one can appreciate the way of life of the family who has worked there for hundreds of years.

I would only suggest that the tables for tasting are put together for guests to be able to enjoy one another’s company, as well. Travellers often like to meet new people and the social aspect may help enhance the experience, although, I’m sure, the hosts have a good reason to arrange them that way. Thank you Angela and fellow travelers for making our...