What is Grillo?
Grillo is a white wine style best understood through its balance of fruit, freshness, body, tannin, sweetness and texture. Sicilian white with citrus, stone fruit and gentle savoury notes. Typical flavours include lemon, peach, herbs, saline finish.
Sicily
Grillo
Southern White · 12.5-13.5%
Style profile
Grapes, regions and character
Grillo is commonly associated with Grillo. The grape choice shapes the wine’s aroma, structure, acidity, body and food-pairing personality. Classic regions include Sicily.
Sicily
Italy
What does Grillo pair well with?
Pair Grillo by matching the wine’s weight, acidity, sweetness and tannin to the dish. It works especially well with caponata, seafood, citrus dishes, fried starters. It is usually less successful with heavy red meat.
Best food matches
Pairings to avoid
What makes a good or bad Grillo?
A good Grillo should taste balanced, expressive and clean. Look for clear fruit, freshness, structure and a finish that suits the style. The acidity is usually medium-high, so the wine should feel lively without becoming harsh. The body is usually medium, so it should match the weight expected from this style.
A poor Grillo can taste flat, tired, harsh, thin, overly sweet, too alcoholic or unbalanced. Avoid bottles where oak, bitterness, heat or sweetness dominate the fruit, freshness and structure.
When buying Grillo, look for bottles where the region, grape and producer style match the food you want to cook. Useful countries to look at include Italy.
Serve Grillo at around 8-10°C. Serving temperature matters because too warm can make wine feel heavy, while too cold can mute flavour.
