From: Vittoria, Sicily, Italy
Varietal: Nero d’Avola
Tasting Notes & Critical Acclaim: This Nero d'Avola presents a bouquet of ripe plums, dried raspberries, and black cherries interwoven with intriguing notes of beetroots, chili pepper, wet tobacco, and licorice. The palate reveals a muscular and rich texture, with flavors of tart dark cherry, smoky earth, and a hint of ashy charcoal. A vibrant undercurrent of fresh soil and dried flowers adds depth and complexity. The wine is fruit-forward and robust, with dusty tannins and bright acidity with hints of orange peel and a subtle dried floral character, giving it an elegant and fresh finish.
“While understated and delicate in the glass, the 2021 Nero d'Avola Siccagno is impossible to ignore. Crushed blackberries, tangerine, lavender, chalk dust and sweet spice form its dazzling bouquet. It's round, soft-textured, quite juicy in character and has depths of tart wild berry fruit. Sour citrus adds contrast and tension throughout. The 2021 finishes with staining length, leaving a lingering web of fine tannins and salted licorice. Just a baby today, I expect the 2021 to flesh out beautifully with a few years of cellaring.” 93 Points, Vinous
Pairing: This bold and complex Nero d'Avola pairs beautifully with traditional Sicilian dishes such as Pasta alla Norma. The wine’s muscular texture and rich dark fruit flavors complement the fried eggplant and robust tomato sauce. In contrast, the wine’s earthy undertones balance the ricotta salata. Another regional favorite is Involtini di Pesce Spada (stuffed swordfish rolls), where the wine's vibrant acidity and subtle smokiness enhance the flavors of the grilled swordfish and savory stuffing.
Consider a slow-cooked lamb stew, where the wine’s ripe fruit and dusty tannins complement the tender, flavorful meat. Grilled portobello mushrooms offer a plant- based alternative that echoes the wine's earthy qualities. A rich duck confit would harmonize with the wine’s dark cherry and plum notes. A charcuterie board with aged cheeses and cured meats like prosciutto provides a savory match to the wine’s smoky character. This is the perfect pizza wine. Try a wood-fired pizza with sausage,
caramelized onions, and fresh arugula to balance the wine’s robust yet elegant profile.
Classic Pasta Alla Norma
By David Tanis
About. The Occhipinti Winery, located in the heart of Vittoria, Sicily, traces its roots back to the early 2000s. Founded by Arianna Occhipinti, this winery has grown from a small plot of land in Fossa di Lupo to encompass several vineyards across the districts of Bombolieri, Pettineo, Bastonaca, Santa Teresa, Serra d'Elia, and Santa Margherita. Arianna's journey began with a passion for viticulture and a vision to revive her homeland's traditional wine-growing practices, focusing on Vittoria's unique terroir.
Arianna Occhipinti is the driving force behind the winery. At 22, after completing her wine studies in Milan, Arianna Occhipinti returned to Sicily to transform the local wine scene. As the niece of Giusto Occhipinti, the winemaker and director at L’Azienda COS, Arianna inherited a deep passion for viticulture. She manages her vineyards using biodynamic principles and adopts a non-interventionist approach in the winery. She believes in creating wines that are not just organic but also natural and expressive of their origins. Her approach to winemaking is holistic, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity and sustainability in every step of the process. Arianna's dedication to these principles has made her a prominent figure in the natural wine movement, and her wines are celebrated for their authenticity and depth.
The philosophy at Occhipinti Winery is one of respect—respect for the land, the vines, and the natural processes that transform grapes into wine. Arianna's approach involves minimal intervention, allowing the wines to ferment with indigenous yeasts and mature in containers that preserve vitality. This philosophy extends to the vineyard, where biodiversity is maintained by avoiding chemical treatments and nurturing the soil with natural methods. The result is a range of wines that are true to their terroir and healthy and sustainable.
Wine Notes. “Siccagno is my Nero d'Avola, born from that concentrated grape which is precisely called Siccagna. The Nero that tells so much about Sicily, which is wild, but also fresh and elegant, with a flavor of red fruits. Which has something noble and aristocratic, but also melancholy like a poet or a philosopher. Which is passionate, full of human warmth and contrasts.” - Arianna Occhipinti
The Nero d'Avola grapes for this wine are grown at an altitude of 280 meters above sea level in soils of medium consistency, comprising light sands and sub-Apennine rock with a calcareous nature. The vines, which are 35 years old on average, are cultivated biodynamically with organic certification, following practices that exclude chemical interventions. The vineyard is densely planted, with 6,000 plants per hectare trained in a combination of spurred cordon and sapling systems. Harvesting takes place in the first ten days of October. Fermentation occurs in cement tanks using indigenous yeasts, with a lengthy 25-day maceration on the skins to extract complexity and depth. The wine is then refined for 24 months in large 30HL Austrian oak barrels, followed by an additional 2 months of bottle aging before release.
