Vittoria, the wine, the vineyards and the stone walls that surround them --this is my land. The sun, which rises early in the morning, warms the nearby Iblei Mountains. The sky blushes with layers of warm light diffusing across the rows of vines in Fossa di Lupo, my farm. I love the grapes of this area, Frappato and Nero d’Avola. I identify with them, their ability to be harmonic yet discordant. I admire their strength and ability to merge the past and the future.
My biggest challenge is to understand the needs of this land without disturbing its essence or altering its appearance. I try to ascertain everything it has to offer and understand how it gives rigor and harmony to the Nero D’Avola and freshness and elegance to the Frappato. To receive means to give and as a winemaker this means maintaining the integrity of biodiversity. I try to produce wines without using any chemicals, neither in the cellar nor in the vineyard, so that they may simply be the fruit of our land with their own characteristics and stories. My farm covers about 10 hectares of vineyards and 15 hectares of olive groves, cultivated entirely organically.
L0110
SP68 is not only a road, but also a connection between paths. We cross these roads in Sicily every day to reach our vineyards and to return to our towns. First in amphora and then in bottles, these wines have traveled kilometers on these roads to all their diverse destinations. These roads upon which our farmers travel everyday to reach their land‌
Classification: Sicily IGT Variety: Albanello and Moscato di Alessandria Altitude: 280 meters above sea level Terrain: red sand and chalk from sub-Apennine limestone Agriculture: organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: guyot and alberello Average age of vines: 10 years Plant density: 6,000 plants per hectare Harvest period: mid-October Fermentation: only indigenous yeasts, with a maceration period of 15 days on the skins. Aging: six months in stainless steel vats and 1 month in bottle. Unfiltered
L0110
...In Sicily, we say that that [SP68] is the most ancient wine route in existence. These roads were also trade routes, in this case, between Gela and Riposto, Sicilian wine traveled along our SP68. I imagine a time when Forcone road, which goes from Vittoria to Quaglio, was a gathering place where one would find both vineyards and men carrying vessels of wine.
Classification: Sicily IGT Variety: Frappato and Nero D’Avola Altitude: 280 meters above sea level Terrain: red sand from sub-Apennines of calcareous (chalk) Agriculture: organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: guyot Average age of vines: 10 years Plant density: 6,000 plants per hectare Harvest period: mid-october Fermentation: only indigenous yeasts, maceration period of 30 days. Aging: six months in stainless steel vats, 1 month of bottle. Unfiltered
My Frappato is born from a dream that I think I’ve always had. I want it to convey all that I think, the land I’m working, the air I’m breathing: Vittoria with all its history, perhaps myself as well. I particularly love it because it is a synthesis of my Sicily, with a thousand faces. I adore it because it’s difficult, at times rough and bloody, and yet extremely elegant. I thank it for having brought me back to Sicily, a land that many are still departing from.
Classification: Sicily IGT Variety: Frappato di Vittoria Altitude: 270 meters above sea level Terrain: red sand from sub-Apennines of calcareous (chalk) Agriculture: Organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: guyot, alberello Average age of vines: 55 years Plant density: 6,000 plants per hectare Harvest period: mid-october Fermentation: with indigenous yeasts, maceration period of 50 days on skins Aging: 14 months in large 25hl, Slovenian oak barrels, 2 months in bottle. Unfiltered
The albarello at the Vittoria is not just this. It is fresh and elegant and not just concentrated. It is red fruit and a little wild. It smells like a true wine, in all senses. It is the grapes from our ancestors --those that unite Sicily from every angle and which represent us the most. Siccagno has been with me since the beginning. The loose grape clusters, its diverse variations, fruit of one mass selection. Here in Sicily, it’s pure tradition thanks to grafting in the vineyards. Looking at the vines, you sense the history of our vineyards.
S0110
Chissa è racina siccagna signurì!
Classfication: Sicily IGT Variety: Nero d’Avola Altitude: 270 meters above sea level Terrain: Medium Consistency, sand from subApennines of calcareous (chalk) Agriculture: organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: alberello Average age of vines: 35 years Plant density: 6,000 plants per hectare Harvest period: Mid-October Fermentation: with indigenous yeasts, maceration period of 40 days on skins Aging: 16 months in large 25hl, Slovenian oak barrels and 6 months in bottle. Unfiltered
High cliffs comprise the Ippari river valley, which lies close to Vittoria, the city where I grew up and still live. Today, we cultivate both Frappato and Nero d’Avola in Fossa di Lupo. This is my synthesis of Sicily. In 2006, 4120 bottles were produced.
Classification: Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG Variety: Frappato di Vittoria and Nero d’Avola Altitude: 270 meters above sea level Terrain: Medium Consistency, sand from subApennines of calcareous (chalk) Agriculture: organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: guyot, alberello Average age of vines: 40 years Plant density: 6,000 plants per hectare Harvest period: mid-October Fermentation: with indigenous yeasts, maceration time of 40 days on skins Aging: 4 years in 25hl Slovenian oak barrels, 6 months in bottle. Unfiltered
It is always important to experiment. During a tasting with chocolate and Siccagno, I realized that Nero D’Avola could evolve into something else. The result was a wine (from dried grapes) of particular sweetness and balanced acidity. Historically, this was once done to preserve grapes during winter. In 2008, 1320 bottles were produced.
Classification: Sicily IGT Variety: Nero d’Avola (late harvest) Altitude: 270 meters above sea level Terrain: Medium Consistency, sand from subApennines of calcareous (chalk) Agriculture: organic, without chemical intervention Farming system: Alberello Average age of vines: 12 years Plant density: 6,500 plants per hectare Harvest period: mid-October Drying period: on reed mats for 12 days Fermentation: with indigenous yeasts Maceration: 7 days on skins Aging: 16 months in used barriques, 10 months in bottle
OLIO
OLIO
OLIO
Production zone: Castelvetrano, Latomie district Variety: Nocellara del Belice Agriculture: Natural Farming system: Umbrella netting system Average age of trees: 80 years Harvesting: beginning in November, manual harvest. Extraction: continuous cold cycle Storage: in stainless steel vats Appearance: radiant Color: golden yellow with green hues Aroma: intense and fresh Taste: Fruity and balanced Density: Medium-High Use: for both cooking and finishing.
Production zone: Chiaramonte Gulfi, c. da Piraino Variety: Tonda Iblea Agriculture: Organic Farming system: Umbrella netting system Average age of trees: centuries-old Harvesting: second half of October, manual harvest Extraction: continuous cold cycle Storage: in stainless steel vats Appearance: radiant Color: green with golden hues Aroma: Intensely fruity Taste: balanced; slightly bitter, spicy undertones Density: Medium-high Use: for both cooking and using raw
GHETA
PANTAREI
The life of every Sicilian is intertwined with olive oil. The production of Nocellara Belice is our family tradition, a tradition that dates back to 1600 A.D. It has the most beautiful memories: racing through the olive groves, falling and skinning my knees, the taste of bitter olives in the mouth. The olive harvest was a time of gathering, of parties and stories, of many families with the same origins. Were children played carefree, eating bread and fresh-milled oil; so spicy, yet so good. Today it is still special --green, golden, and fragrant. Fortunately, even today, we have the same desire to play, the same light-heartedness, and joy of the past. In addition to the old property of Castelvetrano, we acquired 14 hectares of ancient olive groves of Tonda Iblea in c. Chiaramonte Gulfi from Piraino. From these trees we derive the single cultivar, and Pantarei Gheta.
Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti Contrada Fossa di Lupo SP68 Vittoria-Pedalino, Km 5.4 97019 Vittoria (RG), Sicilia Tel. +39.339.7383580 info@agricolaocchipinti.it www.agricolaocchipinti.it
Foto realizzate con Hipstamatic su iPhone 4
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