Imagine an
Italian wine being incredible aromatic – cool tempered like a red Burgundy,
carrying 12,5% alcohol –shaping sophisticated notes like roses, nutmeg,
liquorice and lavender. It carries
on with a sleek texture, refreshing and firm acidity – crushing the aromatic
package into a breed like no other Italian wine I have ever tasted. A wine that
grows on you – new shapes & angels, keeping you constant alert. You
drink the whole bottle in one go – because you can’t resist.
I wish such
a wine excited….and it does. I have tasted it three times now. I just wish I had found out before. I have even seen the label
many times before and also seen friends around social medias posting empty bottles
of this wine. Yet I never bought it. I had lost faith in Italy. Hugely disappointed with their Barrique obsession, blending international grapes, masking their terroir and selling
out on a wines ability to tell a story and drink well.
However –
it's my own fault. I got lazy. I forgot that Italy is so diverse and
much more than those wines appealing to the “rating agencies”.
This wine
is the biggest Italian eye-opener I have had in 10 years. A truly emotional
wine to me, which against all odds are made in the burning hot Sicily.
There is
hope for Italy after all. BRAVO!!!!
2010 Arianna
Ochhipinti “Il Frappato”
Blend: 100%
Frappato di Vittoria
Terroir:
Red Sand from Sub-Apennines chalk
Age of
wines: 55 years
Altitude:
270m above sea level
Aging. 14
month on 25hl large Slovenia oak
Agricultures:
Organic without chemical intervention
Location:
Sicily – Vittoria (southwest – province of Ragusa)
Alcohol: 12,5%
Alcohol: 12,5%
Glass:
Zalto Burgundy – for the aromatic threat. Zalto Universal - for an even more
cool tempered expression with an overly sophisticated spice window. Compared -
I preferred the Burgundy glass.
Posts
8 comments:
Thanks for the tip! Just read your post this morning while my husband was on a trip to the liquor store. Saw online that our store has the Occhipinti Il Frappato and now we have a magnum in the basement, probably to share with friends at a wine party in October.
Flot post! Herlig læsning!
Occhipintis vine er skønne, faktisk var jeg mindst ligeså betaget af basis-rossoen SP68 (blend frappato og nero d'avola) - samme slanke, mineralske stil og uhyre aromatisk, en meget imponerende entry level vin.
Der findes et hav af superelegante (øko/bio-)italieniere i stil med celebrity'en Arianna Occhipinti. Bare på Sicilien kan jeg varmt anbefale de kølige, slanke røde på nerello mascalese fra Etna, fx. Calabrettas sensationelle præ-phyl 'Nonna Concetta', Tenuta della Terre Neres etna-serie eller Passopisciaros enkeltmarker.
Mange hilsner,
Niels / Più Rosso
Wow! You're certainly in for a treat if you this far have thought that italian wines are all about pleasing the "rating agencies". I can honestly not think of a wine landscape that is more diverse and openminded, if you step out of the mainstream box, that is.
Glad you've come around and i'm not surprised it took an Occhipinti to make it happen! :)
/Patrik
Fantastisk anmeldelse - med fokus på glæden ved oplevelsen.. Mere end nok for at få mig til at hoppe på Cibi e Vinis Occhipinti smagekasse med det samme. Glæder mig voldsomt til at smage...
/Kasper
Thank you all for your kind words. Means a lot to me.
@ NewEngland-Julie – A magnum…more than twice the pleasure ;-). Hope you like it.
@ Niels – Jeg skal helt sikkert have udforsket resten af Occhipintis vine. Jeg ved godt der sker ting og sager på Etna, som helt sikkert har den kølighed jeg søger. Tak for opfordringen.
@ Patrik – Actually, it’s a bit of a confession. I have to put myself through some of these wines I refer to as “pleasing the rating agencies” as I still have some left in my cellar (I have tried to sell them many times). They make me kind of sad – also to think that I was hunting these wines just some 6-7 years ago. I made a mistake and as said, forget to expand my view – because Italy can really offer a tremendous diversity. This wine is a pearl in my view and I can’t wait to taste it again.
@ Kasper – You won’t regret it. Let us know what you think.
All the best,
Thomas
I love it too. :)
Martin "BerlinKitchen"
Sounds just like the wine I've been after for a while, I'll be giving this a try!
I am sure Fabio can give you a crash course in Italy outside the mainstream. Some of the Etna producers, Foradoris amfora-wines and so many other wines. I am sure Winewise/Terroiristen also could help introducing you to a lot of very interesting producers.
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