The Queen of Vittoria: Inside the Wines of Arianna Occhipinti

Arianna Occhipinti is THE name to know in Sicily

She illuminated the quality and potential of native Sicilian varieties and inspired a new generation of natural wine enthusiasts globally.

The front gate at Arianna Occhipinti. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Arianna Occhipinti has become a defining figure for an entire generation of natural wine drinkers. She is best known for her minimal-intervention philosophy: little to no sulfur additions, no filtration, spontaneous fermentations driven by native airborne yeasts, and a deliberately simple approach to vinification intended to preserve transparency and vitality in the wines.

Vittoria. Source: Google Maps

Remarkably, she began making wine at just sixteen years old, initially working with only a single hectare of vines. By twenty-two, she had already released wines under her own label. Nearly two decades later, she remains one of Sicily’s most influential and internationally recognized producers.

Today, Occhipinti produces roughly 180,000 bottles annually, placing the estate in the medium-sized range by Sicilian standards. She farms between 20 and 25 hectares of vineyards throughout the Ippari Valley near Vittoria, within the historic zone of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.

 

Viticulture

The climate here is hot and sun-drenched, though moderate elevations and cooling sea breezes help temper the intensity. Occhipinti adopted organic viticulture very early in her career and later transitioned toward biodynamic farming beginning in 2009, emphasizing soil health, biodiversity, and minimal chemical intervention. Vittoria’s naturally dry climate also makes organic farming more feasible than in many European wine regions — a point discussed further in our piece on COS. Alongside Frank Cornelissen (see our piece), Occhipinti has become one of Sicily’s most visible ambassadors for natural wine.

Bombolieri vineyard is directly adjacent to the winery.
Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Her principal red varieties are Nero d’Avola and Frappato, though she also cultivates indigenous white grapes such as Albanello, Zibibbo, and more recently Grillo. She farms multiple contrade — localized vineyard districts comparable to Burgundy’s lieux-dits — including parcels planted to very old alberello-trained vines. These diverse sites allow her to produce single-vineyard wines that emphasize differences in soil composition and microclimate.

Occhipinti strongly favors massal selection, propagating vines from a broad range of old vineyard material rather than relying on commercial clones. Most vineyards are dry-farmed, with irrigation reserved only for young vines when absolutely necessary.

The soils throughout the estate vary considerably, ranging from red sands layered over limestone and tufa to heavier calcareous and limestone-rich compositions. Some vineyards are sandy and produce lighter, more aromatic wines, while others contain higher proportions of limestone, contributing greater structure, acidity, and tannic grip.

Old school rain gauge measures the amount of precipitation.
Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Cover crops — typically legumes and grains — are planted between vine rows to improve soil organic matter, encourage biodiversity, and support root health. In a particularly charming example of circular agriculture, some of these grains are later harvested and sold in the tasting room. I even purchased pasta made from ancient grains originally planted as vineyard cover crops.

One of the estate’s more serious recent challenges has been Jacobiasca lybica, commonly known as cicalina africana, a leafhopper native to Africa that migrated into Sicily beginning around 2022. The insect feeds on vine sap and can cause leaf discoloration, dehydration, and early defoliation, significantly impacting both yields and fruit quality. To combat infestations, the winery relies on treatments made from orange essence and olive oil. During the severe downy mildew outbreak of 2023, they also applied copper sulfate solutions to protect the vineyards.

 

Winemaking

In the cellar, Occhipinti’s natural-wine philosophy continues through restrained, low-intervention winemaking. Fermentations occur spontaneously with native yeasts, sulfur additions are kept minimal, extraction during maceration is intentionally gentle, and wines age in neutral vessels such as concrete tanks or large casks rather than new oak. Whenever possible, juice and wine are moved using gravity rather than pumps to minimize manipulation.

Each concrete tank is 94hl, or 12,000 bottles. It takes 3-4 days to clean and dry. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Fermentation times vary dramatically by variety. Red wines may ferment over the course of a month, while Grillo — due to its high sugar accumulation — may require only a single day of fermentation. At bottling, Occhipinti adds approximately 30 mg of sulfur dioxide per 750 mL bottle to ensure stability during international shipping.

The resulting wines are typically elegant and vibrant, characterized by freshness, bright red fruit, floral aromatics, herbal notes, and lighter-to-medium-bodied structures.

 

The Line Up. Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

The Wines

SP68 Line

Named after the provincial road running near the vineyards, the SP68 wines serve as Occhipinti’s most approachable and immediate expressions. The SP68 Rosso, for example, blends approximately 70% Frappato with 30% Nero d’Avola. These wines emphasize freshness, drinkability, and transparent fruit expression rather than extraction or power. The white wines in the lineup often incorporate skin contact and blend varieties such as Albanello and Zibibbo.

Contrada & Single-Vineyard Wines

Her single-vineyard wines — including bottlings such as Il Frappato and Siccagno — focus on expressing the differences between sandy and limestone-dominant soils. These wines generally possess greater structure, complexity, and aging potential.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG

Occhipinti also produces traditional Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG wines, most notably Grotte Alte, blending Frappato and Nero d’Avola in the region’s historic style.

Barrel room is 16 feet (5 meters) deep and you can see the naked limestone.
Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

Ultimately, Arianna Occhipinti represents a compelling model for contemporary winegrowing: a producer deeply committed to indigenous grapes, sustainability, terroir expression, and minimal intervention while still crafting wines of precision, elegance, and international appeal.

Her work has helped redefine what Sicilian wine can be. The SP68 wines provide accessible entry points into her style, while the single-vineyard bottlings offer depth, nuance, and a profound sense of place. In both Italy and the broader global wine world, Occhipinti has become a reference point for natural wine approached not as a trend or gimmick, but with seriousness, rigor, and genuine respect for terroir.

 

Following the Wine Road through Cerasuolo di Vitttoria. 
Source: Coppiera Travel Archives

TASTING

Stay tuned for tasting notes!