The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Occhipinti SP68 Rosso 2022
Red WineIssue 53

Occhipinti SP68 Rosso 2022

Occhipinti

$302022 VintageSicily, Italy
Arianna Occhipinti's SP68 is named for the provincial road connecting her vineyards in Vittoria. It's natural winemaking at its most precise—no additions, no filtering, no fining—yet it tastes controlled and deliberate. A wine of place that delivers far beyond its price.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh crushed cherries and wild strawberries dominate, joined by a subtle violet note, dried herbs, and a mineral, almost dusty earthiness that speaks to the volcanic-influenced soils.

Palate

Light-bodied but deeply flavorful. Tart red cherry and berry fruit lead, with a pleasant green herbal character and a gentle tannic grip. There's an underlying warmth and a hint of toasted spice from brief time in older oak.

Finish

Medium with bright acidity, lingering cherry, and a clean mineral close.

Specifications
Varietal
Nero d'Avola
Blend
Nero d'Avola, Frappato
Vineyards
Estate vineyards along the SP68 provincial road, Vittoria, Sicily
Alcohol
13%
Organic / Biodynamic
No
Serve & Pair

Food Pairing

Pasta alla Norma with ricotta salata

The Story

Produced by Arianna Occhipinti on her biodynamic estate near Vittoria in southeastern Sicily, using indigenous Nero d'Avola and Frappato grapes fermented with native yeasts in concrete tanks.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More Red Wine Reviews
Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine de Montille
Red Wine

Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine de Montille

Domaine de Montille

Domaine de Montille's Bourgogne Rouge is a masterclass in what restraint can achieve at the regional level — no excess, no artifice, just transparent Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most principled estates. It embodies the theme of clarity through constraint: a wine that finds its beauty in what it withholds rather than what it offers. An essential benchmark for understanding why less, in Burgundy, is always more.

$33
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie
Red Wine

Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie

Calabretta

Calabretta's old-vine Nerello Mascalese is a masterclass in how air and altitude sculpt a wine—vineyards perched high on Etna's slopes channel wind and volcanic breath into the glass. This is traditional Etna winemaking at its most soulful: no shortcuts, no polish, just pure terroir captured by a family that has farmed the same contrada for generations. A hauntingly beautiful wine that rewards patience and contemplation.

$43
Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge 2022
Red Wine

Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge 2022

Perrin

The Perrin family's Réserve Rouge remains one of the Rhône's most reliable everyday reds, delivering genuine terroir character at a fraction of the cost of their Châteauneuf-du-Pape holdings. It captures the warmth of a late November harvest—generous, grounding, and quietly soulful. A wine that pairs as well with weeknight suppers as it does with the season's final fireside gatherings.

$14
Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône La Sagesse 2022
Red Wine

Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône La Sagesse 2022

Domaine Gramenon

La Sagesse means 'wisdom,' and this bottling from very old Grenache vines is aptly named. Michèle Aubéry-Laurent farms biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention — native yeast, no added sulfur, no fining or filtration. This is transparency in a bottle: terroir, vine age, and vintage, nothing hidden.

$30