Occhipinti: the Frappato of the Natural Woman

I have always loved Sicily – it is a beautiful, evocative region full of history: a land that has embraced many peoples who left their indelible mark on it.

There are excellent Sicilian wines, but this region can still do so much more, especially in terms of communication and the promotion of a truly wonderful territory.

I met the Occhipinti winery at Vinitaly – they were upset about the theft of several cases of wine, yes, that sort of thing happens even at one of the world's premier events.

Arianna Occhipinti is young, with the typical features of a Mediterranean woman of another era – you would not associate her with a wine estate from her appearance, but rather with a book! She truly has the look of a writer! And looks are not deceiving: she has actually written a book, and a well-conceived one at that! Published by Fandango, it is titled "Natural Woman: la mia Sicilia, il mio vino, la mia passione". A subtitle I adore! The title itself is a reference to the well-known (eponymous) song by Aretha Franklin! It is an autobiographical work that touches on important themes, both psychological and economic.

After some conversation and a touch of irony about the event's organisation, we move on to the tasting – I go straight for it, I want to try the Frappato 2013.

Frappato is a native red-berry grape variety from the Ragusa/Syracuse area; it is a very ancient variety, possibly originating from the Iberian Peninsula.

Its bunches are made up of very tightly packed berries that often end up crushing against each other during ripening, causing some of them to split – which can lead to the formation of mould.

We are talking about a variety with a fairly modest yield, but one that has the great advantage of being quite resistant to disease and pests.

The Frappato from Occhipinti is made with organic grapes (we are talking about a biodynamic wine awarded a triple A certification) sourced from the Vittoria area, from vines with an average age of around 45–50 years.

It is made using only indigenous yeasts and is unfiltered – it remains fifty days on the skins, fourteen months in untoasted 25hl barrels, and two months in bottle.

Colour: light ruby red. On the nose: red fruits, field herbs, iris, blackcurrant, plum, myrtle, pink pepper, and chestnut.

On the palate, this is not a simple wine – not for everyone; for those not able to appreciate it, it can even be off-putting!

We are in the presence of a full-bodied, "chewy" wine with an important structure, yet at the same time fresh, savoury, and mineral, whose tannin is warm and "knocks" at your palate, making itself heard.

Sicily must start again from pure realities like this one – estates that produce special wines, run in a traditional way but with the eye of someone looking forward, toward a sustainable future: well done, Arianna.