Wines made from Grillo grapes of Vino da Tavola
Discover the best wines made with Grillo as a single variety or as a blend of Vino da Tavola.
A very ancient grape variety still grown today in western Sicily. Very often associated with catarratto and inzolia, it produces the famous Marsala liqueur wine. It is also increasingly being vinified as a single variety and produces excellent dry wines full of freshness and fruitiness. Grillo is believed to be the result of an intra-fertile cross between catarratto and Muscat of Alexandria or zibibbo, obtained in 1869 by Antonino Mendola. It is represented by two biotypes that can be easily recognized, but it seems that winegrowers attach little importance to them. Little known in other Italian regions - in Liguria it is known as "rossese bianco" - it can also be found in Australia and South Africa. It is not widely grown in France, although it is interesting because of its ability to withstand hot climates and drought, and to ripen quite late.
Vino da Tavola was the most basic classification of Italian wines. It is now renamed simply "Vino" and appears on labels as Vino d'Italia. The original name literally means "table wine" as opposed to premium wines from specific geographical locations (see EU wine label). In May 2011, the first legal steps were taken to abolish the Vino da Tavola category, in favor of a New classification of wines called simply Vino.