Arianna Occhipinti is one of the hottest names in Italian wines. Her natural wines are highly sought after with the demand far outstripping the tiny production. Great Roman wine lists like Casa Bleve, Settembrini & Enoteca Costantini are fervent supporters of her wines.
The estate is about 15 km from the Mediterranean with the vineyards planted at 250 metres above sea level. The vineyard is planted with native Sicilian grape varieties Frappato & Nero d’Avola and is run on bio-dynamic principles and all fruit is hand harvested. The winemaking process is natural with fermentation occurring spontaneously, no temperature control, no fining, no filtration and only minimal sulphur additions at bottling. The style of Occhipinti is fresh and pure with incredibly cool fruit. The wines are delicate yet full flavoured and glide across the palate.
The SP68 is a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato. It is named after the main road that passes near Adrianna’s home town of Vittoria in the south of Sicily. There’s some real dark fruit character in this wine. Blood plums, wild cherry, mulberry and some tangy cranberry. Savoury spice, dried herbs, smoke, leather, earth. There’s layers of complexity yet it’s so fresh and clean on the palate it is just an absolute joy to drink!