2017 SP68 Rosso - Arianna Occhipinti

Wild raspberry, crushed volcanic rock, unwashed strawberry. Fresh cranberry, chopped rosemary, dried orange peel. Wild flowers and rose hips, thyme and herb garden. Bright farmers market fruit still fresh and covered in dirt meets sage and green olive. Brimming with pronounced minerality in the form of clean concrete, red earth, and ash. Cherry stems and pomegranate husk combine with licorice and wonderfully floral earthy funk in a package that somehow tastes like a volcano. This 2017 SP68 Rosso by Arianna Occhipinti is a terroir-driven minimalist wine that maximizes complexity and balance.

Arianna Occhipinti is a young female winemaker and a champion of the natural wine movement in the Vittoria region of southeastern Sicily. By farming organically and biodynamically, utilizing only naturally occurring fermentation, and avoiding manipulation in the cellar, Adrianna has created a lineup of authentic and enviable wine. This bottling, crafted from a blend of indigenous grapes comprised of 70% Frappato and 30% Nero D'Avola, is the flagship wine of her portfolio. This wine erupts with fresh juicy funky fruit that is gluggable and refreshing, yet it rounds out with clean herbs and intense heavily volcanic mineral tones. Although Sicily can be quite hot Arianna has managed to limit this wine to only 12.5% ABV, and the refreshing acidity suggests a much cooler climate. We received this as part of a recent Raw Vino shipment and are stoked to have finally gotten to experience this wine.