Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Bianco 2025
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The Land
SP68 is a road. Strada Provinciale 68 runs from Vittoria toward Pedalino across the southeastern corner of Sicily, and it passes directly through Arianna Occhipinti's vineyards, which is where the name comes from. The land it crosses is nothing like the Sicily most people picture. The soil around Vittoria is deep red sand sitting on limestone bedrock, unusual anywhere and specific to this pocket of the island, and the sand keeps yields naturally low while the limestone underneath holds water through a dry summer and keeps acidity from collapsing. The Iblei Mountains sit inland and the sea is close, so nights cool off hard even in August. The vines feeding this bottling average about fifteen years across several estate sites.
The Wine
A blend of Zibibbo and Albanello, roughly 60/40, both native to Sicily. Zibibbo is Muscat of Alexandria and brings the perfume; Albanello is a nearly forgotten local white that supplies the structure and the bite. The fruit is destemmed and co-fermented with native yeasts in concrete tanks with about two weeks of skin contact, then aged around eight months in concrete and bottled unfiltered. That skin maceration is what separates this from a conventional white: it gives grip and a faintly tannic pull that keeps the Muscat aromatics from turning sweet or perfumed. The wine runs to ginger, orange peel, ripe apricot, dried herbs, and salted almond, with a chalky texture and a long saline finish. Cloudiness in the bottle is normal here and not a fault.
The People
Arianna Occhipinti started her estate in 2004 at twenty-one years old with one hectare of rented land outside Vittoria. She had grown up around wine, her uncle Giusto is a founder of COS, but she built her own project from nothing on the argument that southeastern Sicily deserved to be taken as seriously as any classic region. The farming is organic and certified, the training is the traditional Sicilian alberello where the old plantings allow, and nothing in the cellar involves selected yeast, temperature control, or filtration. She now farms substantially more land and has become the reference point for what this part of the island can do.
Food Pairing
The skin contact gives it enough grip to handle food that would flatten most whites. Grilled swordfish with salmoriglio, pasta con le sarde, chicken with preserved lemon and olives, or a plate of caponata with crusty bread. The bitterness and salinity meet oily fish and vinegar-sharp vegetables head on, and the Muscat aromatics work with anything involving fennel or citrus. Serve it cool rather than ice cold, and give it a swirl before the first pour.
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Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Sicily, Italy’s largest island, blends ancient wine traditions with a fresh wave of modern creativity. Its star red grape, Nero d’Avola, thrives in the island’s warm, sun-soaked climate, producing intensely flavored wines with dark fruit and a hint of savory spice. Along the western coast lies the historic heartland of Marsala, a fortified wine prized for both sweet and dry styles. Rising above the island’s varied landscapes is Mount Etna, an active volcano whose mineral-rich soils and cooler elevations result in elegantly structured reds and nuanced whites. From coast to crater, Sicily’s wine culture is as diverse and vibrant as the region itself.
