Il Frappato Arianna Occhipinti 2020

Il Frappato Arianna Occhipinti, biodynamic wine, intense red from Sicily, 100% Frappato, lingering and complex yet very elegant. Long known as a blending grape, Frappato, in the hands of Arianna Occhipinti, is an extraordinary wine. Light in colour yet remarkable in complexity with notes of cherry, raspberry and white pepper, this wine shows the cool climate characteristics that can be found in Sicily. 70% of the Frappato is macerated for two months on its skins, while the other 30% stays on its skins for eight months. The fluidity, the ever changing character of this wine is truly remarkable. Every time you think you have it pinned down, it throws something else at you. Here you are smelling cherries, and in come the figs, the raisins, before a whiff of fresh-cooked strawberries runs by. Pepper? Or is that smoke? Or maybe dried leaves. Or… no, maybe more blood orange. And then there’s that floral character. A little volatile acidity is there, but it gets completely swallowed up by the swirl of aromas that keeps dancing around in the glass. An outstanding glass of wine which will keep you reaching for the bottle.

Arianna Occhipinti is the niece of COS winemaker Guisto Occhipinti, so has winemaking in her blood.

Her estate lies near to Vittoria, just off the SP68 road which lends its name to some of her wines. Guided by her uncle, she's been making wine here for well over ten years now. All the vineyards are worked using biodynamic principals and she takes a non-interventionalist approach in the cellar, allowing the wine to find its own space. Only natural yeasts are used, no temperature control, no fining or filtration and minimal SO2 at bottling. Many would say Arianna is now rivalling her Uncle for quality and certainly her wines are excellent. She works with Nero d'Avola, Frappato, Zibbibo, as well as some other local varieties.