The island was once one of the most important colonies of Greece. Viticulture has therefore been of major importance for a long time. The vineyards are mainly located on hillsides up to 900 meters above sea level. The warm dry climate with crucial temperature differences between day and night, as well as the barren, stony and in some places volcanic soils offer excellent conditions for viticulture. In addition, Sicily also has a lot to offer in terms of indigenous grape varieties, especially the red Nero d'Avola. In addition to this smooth, full-bodied and, in the best cases, very interesting red wine, finely aromatic and fragrant varieties such as Inzolia and Catarratto can also provide white wines that are among the best in the nation. In addition, there are other very distinctive specialties, such as the red grape variety Nerello Mascalese or the Zibibbo, a variety of Muscat. A special wine is Etna Rosso, a wine from the slopes of the volcano Etna, as well as the noble sweet Moscato di Pantelleria from the small island of Pantelleria. The traditional Marsala also deserves a mention.