Contrada Pettineo’

Frapatto, Sicily, Italy 

A truly rare prize we see the likes of just once a year. Like listening to a forgotten vinyl you bought from a friend while drunk many moons ago. Ariana Occhipinti started her own winery 15 years ago, after learning all she could from her uncle (the ‘O’ in COS wines) and with her own natural instincts in her arsenal. ‘Contrada’ is the term used to describe a small country district, in this case Pettineo, an historic town with soils composed of a deep layer of sea sand and a small accumulation of surface limestone. The 60 year old vines are hand-harvested, before macerating on their skins in cement tanks for 30 days and maturing 22 more months in large Slavonian oak barrels (where they develop into the treasures they are). Mediterranean scrub, marasca cherries, marine cocktail, loganberry acidity & sitting on a tiny sail boat watching stingrays below you. Pour alongside Sicilian trippa, aka tripe dishes. Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it!