Arianna Occhipinti, a revered Italian wine producer with a growing global following, cultivates 18 hectares of certified organic native grape varieties. Her journey began tending two hectares of vines on her parents’ estate during her university days, where she was disheartened by the heavy reliance on chemistry and laboratory work. In contrast, her uncle Giusto Occhipinti of the renowned Sicilian COS estate embraced natural winemaking, a philosophy Arianna came to embrace wholeheartedly. Her wines are characterized by an earthy, almost unfiltered quality, emphasizing finesse over power.

Another historical contrada and backbone of my work since 2004. The soils are sandy with shades that go from red to chestnut brown and with a substantial presence of limestone rocks on the surface. After the first 40 cm of sand, we arrive at a layer of solid, hard limestone. The vines were planted in albarello: the typical training system with planting distances traditional of the Vittoria area. This contrada faces the Hyblaean Mountains at northeast; from here the wines typically originate as fruity but also austere, presenting great acidity.

And the grape? Frappato, our long historical variety of Vittoria, to which I am particularly attached to since the beginning of my path, can present itself as delicate, austere, and bloody. In any case, I would like Frappato to be considered as an instrument available to transmit the terroir, and not the sole purpose. Only what we tread, smell, perceive around us every day, goes straight into the wines. That is our purpose.

Winery Notes