Il Frappato IGT Sicilia 2022

A pale, light-footed red wine made from pure Frappato, dry and deliberately restrained in alcohol at 12.5% ABV. The aromatics stay floral and red-fruited: red cherry, wild strawberry, rose petals. The texture is silky, the weight medium, the line clear.

Since 2004, Arianna Occhipinti has farmed 42 hectares across nine contrade around Vittoria, on soils of sand, limestone and clay. Each contrada has its own geology and its own signature; Contrada Bombolieri carries the highest limestone content, lending its wines finesse. No irrigation is used — not a drop of irrigation water has ever reached these vineyards, a radical choice in the Sicilian heat.

Frappato has been documented in Vittoria since 1812 and was long underrated. While other Sicilian estates planted international varieties, Occhipinti made this native grape her life's work, buying her first hectare of abandoned vines at the age of 21. The vines are trained in the traditional bush form (alberello), suited to the Mediterranean drought. The estate has farmed biodynamically since 2009.

Juicy red fruit carried by lively acidity, with silky, edgeless tannins. The finish retains cherry and a dry herbal spice, precise and longer than the light body would suggest.

A versatile table wine: pasta alla Norma, caponata, tuna in tomato-olive sauce. Also pairs well with white meats such as veal or chicken, with young pecorino and with bread and olive oil.

Occhipinti has brought Frappato to new heights. The historic farmhouse with its ancient palmento keeps the connection to old Sicilian traditions alive.