See, hear, smell, touch, and taste Sicily with Virtu's gastronomic tours

I don’t know what it is about Sicily, but even the broccoli on a market stall look appetising. Last week I went on one of the new gastronomic day trips offered by Virtu Ferries and am now a bit sorry that my summer won’t be revolving around our neighbouring island this year.

The trips focus on the South Eastern section where Nero D’Avola, the best olive oil, Pachino tomatoes, pistachios, and the distinctive chocolate of Modica hail from. Take my advice and abstain from eating on the catamaran – the 90 minute trip soon ends and once your guide picks you up, you are taken to a bar in Pozzallo where a harlequin display of pasta di mandorle await, as well as coffee as good as that at Ole I am told… and of course there is tea for the faint hearted.

The tour covers Modica; after a drive through postcard-perfect scenery with a talk about how the Aztecs brought chocolate to its shores and of the taste which, once you know is fat-free, is all of a sudden appealing. Arriving at a rather unassuming building, you soon realise you are close to heaven. If you like chocolate and ice cream that is. The proprietor of Rizza introduces you to the history of the company and gives you a deeper insight to the Aztec connection while husking and grinding cocoa beans; and the introduction of sugar and other ingredients, including sage, pepperoncino, mint, carob and lemon for flavour. He literally makes bars in front of you and finally, it is time to taste.

The bloomed appearance is normal in pure chocolate he advises, the taste is sweet with a power burst of cocoa to finish. Mildly addictive, a few tastes later, my mind was all over the place choosing flaked and flavoured varieties to try at home. On the tour we also visited a cheese maker and while he talked us through the strict controls and processes of making cheese, his team were forming Provolone into elephant, piglet and the traditional ‘snowman’ shapes.

After tasting just set ricotta, which you could imagine served somewhere fancy with borage and berries on, we were invited to taste his prized Ragusana DOP 18 month old mature cheese which was rich, hard and nutty. This variety’s skin changes colour depending on what vegetation the cows have eaten and even though this farmer produces 1000 litres of milk a day, this speciality cheese is only available fresh from January to May.

What better way to follow up a cheese tasting than a wine tasting? We visited the Poggio di Bortolone and its underground winery that has a 130 year heritage. We tasted four varieties; three of them DOCG. In my humble opinion, they got better as we went on, though this could be down to my senses, the temperature or as I would like to think, my taste. Each worth mention in their own right; the Poggio de Bortolone showing strong tannins, smelling of sherry but ‘thinner,’ the Addamanera, a bit sharp for my palette with a taste of soil. The Kiron was described, even by the owner as interesting; moorish as you wanted to identify the taste. This was my least favourite but has a great description.

No – you have to go and see for yourself what it is! The last wine, Il Para Para was exceptional. A blend of Nero D’Avola and Frappato and matured in both barrels and the bottle; the 2006 vintage is well worth looking up. They don’t make many of their 80,000 bottles of this blend, but you will find it in far-flung corners of the globe. Our last tasting-stop was at the most beautiful agri-tourismo site I have ever seen. Just outside Chiaramonte Gulfe, Villa Zottopera has an interesting history, and having been rebuilt in 1791 after the great earthquake, its many olive trees pre-date the buildings.

During a walk around the grove with the owner Ing. Guiseppe Rosso, he talks you through the history and introduces you to his trees; which seem almost like his children, as he tells you about their special talents, their yields and their personalities. Back through the garden the nobleman’s home also houses the original press, a museum if you will. The differences in processes is explained and you are shown how to taste the oil: firstly warm the sample cup to body temperature and then slurp a sip between your teeth and lips, quickly inhaling the oil and drawing it to the back of your mouth.

Moments later, a peppery taste sensation will arrive and this characteristic is the main reason why this oil has almost as many awards as it has years in production, most recently, the Gamberro Rosso magazine’s top mark (3 Olives) and orders from Japan – which means it must be pretty good. This is not an oil you will find in supermarkets. This is special. And what’s more, the house itself offers accommodation in the stables that have been converted into rooms and apartments, costing less than €100 per night in high season (for up to four people), I recommend staying here and exploring a bit more of Sicily unless you have to get back home in a day.

The catamaran leaves at 9:30pm and on the drive down, we watched the sun is dropping through the clouds like a giant perfect egg yolk. The end to a perfect day and what’s more, travelling this way means there is no hanging around in a departure lounge, no baggage limits and you can pack liquids… which is great news, as you may pick up quite a few samples along the way.