Arianna Occhipinti is out to change the way you think about Sicilian wines.

Sicilian wines have traditionally been dark, clunky, and bulk-produced with a mixture of grapes. No more. Occhipinti uses only indigenous grapes in her natural wines and the result is gaining her an impressive cult following.

Not yet twenty-eight years old, this young Sicilian producer uses the Nero d'Avola grape and the lesser-known Frappato. The end product - perfumed, spicy, with a bit of a wild streak.

In Arianna's words, "natural means that the winemaker minimizes intervention and manipulation during the winemaking process, so that the finished product is a reflection of the terroir (the soil, location, and altitude, as well as the climate and conditions of a particular vintage)." In essence, no two vintages are alike.

Arianna put out her first vintage at the age of twenty-one and owes her inspiration to her uncle, famous winemaker Giusto Occhipinti of the Sicilian label COS. In the states, Occhipinti is imported by Louis/Dressner Selections and can be found at Chambers Street Wines and other retailers.

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Q & A with winemaker Arianna Occhipinti: learn more about her, her natural wines, and where she likes to eat and drink.

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