The Minnella Bianca grape variety is certainly indigenous to the Sicily region and is cultivated only on the island. However, its origins are unknown. It is believed that the name derives from the particular, elongated shape of the berry, which vaguely resembles a breast (“minna” in Sicilian dialect). The cultivated area amounts to 86 hectares, most of which are in the province of Catania, around the slopes of Mount Etna. Minnella Bianca is part of the composition of the Etna Bianco DOC. Further west, the province of Enna also hosts some scattered plantations of Minnella Bianca. Generally, Minnella Bianca is vinified together with other local grape varieties, primarily Catarratto. Minnella Bianca is an early-ripening grape variety that is often one of the first wine grapes harvested in a given year, usually around mid-September, followed by Carricante.

Minnella Bianca has a medium-large, pyramidal cluster, simple or winged, moderately loose with a medium pentagonal leaf with three to five lobes. The berries have white flesh, are medium-large, ellipsoidal, with a waxy, yellow-gold or greenish skin that is thin but firm. Minnella Bianca prefers training systems with limited expansion, such as the traditional low bush vine (alberello) with short and sparse pruning. This grape variety has low vigor and a late-ripening period; its productivity is very high but inconsistent. In some vineyards, Minnella Bianca is found alongside other grape varieties, such as Carricante and Catarratto, or even with the black grape variety Nerello Mascalese. Wines from Minnella Bianca have an exotic aroma of yellow tropical fruits with notes of cinnamon and anise, and excellent acidity, which keeps the wines concentrated and fresh on the palate.