A light-footed Sicilian red wine made from Frappato and Nero d'Avola. Grown on sandy-calcareous soils around Vittoria, it combines transparent fruit with refreshing elegance at a moderate 12% ABV.
Bottler: Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti, Via dei Mille 55, 97019 Vittoria / Italy
In the glass
Colour
Transparent garnet red with violet reflections.
Nose
Pure dark fruit of mulberry, blackberry and plum, accompanied by gentle spice notes of clove and allspice as well as a smoky touch over orange zest.
Palate
Almost weightless on the palate, with powdery fine tannins and fresh, lively acidity that guides the red fruit straight through to the finish.
Character
Unpretentious, elegant and built for drinkability – an honest Sicilian terroir wine that favours freshness over power and tastes best lightly chilled.
Pairing
Pasta with Sicilian aubergines alla Norma, grilled tuna or cold antipasti with Pecorino and olives.
Notes
Named after the historic trade route running past the estate – spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks, bottled unfiltered and without any use of wood; Arianna Occhipinti's organic-biodynamic viticulture, entirely without irrigation, shapes its clear, authentic expression.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Transparent garnet red with violet reflections – a glass you can almost see through, promising precisely what the wine delivers: lightness without banality.
Nose
Initially, a fine reductive, smoky note emerges, beneath which immaculate fruit steps forward: mulberries, blackberries and dark plums from the Frappato, accompanied by gentle spices such as clove and allspice from the Nero d’Avola. A nimble, elegant entrance to which the twelve per cent alcohol lends no heaviness whatsoever.
Palate
The wine glides across the palate almost weightlessly, its shimmering red fruit hovering above the structure in an almost ethereal manner. The tannins are powder-fine and guide the fruit along clear lines; the fresh acidity brings momentum, while a hint of orange zest garnishes the picture. Served a few degrees cooler, it reaches its optimal drinking pace.
Finish
Dry, cool and straightforward – the red fruit lingers, the fine tannins retreat cleanly, and the mouth is left with a refreshing, saline-herbaceous echo of Sicilian earth.
Terroir & origin
Four vineyard sites around Vittoria at roughly 280 metres above sea level, characterised by red sands over limestone. Since 2004, Arianna Occhipinti has farmed her 42 hectares across nine contrade – with the radical decision never to irrigate her vines in the Sicilian heat. This is how wines of unmistakable profile are created.
Grape variety & vinification
A cuvée of around 70 % Frappato and 30 % Nero d’Avola, hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks. After roughly 20 days on the skins, six months of maturation in concrete follow, along with a short period of bottle ageing – bottled unfiltered, with minimal sulphur addition and entirely without wood. Incidentally, the name honours the country road SP68, along which Sicilian wine has been transported to the ports for millennia.
Food recommendations
A wine that, when slightly chilled, pairs with almost anything from the Mediterranean table: Pasta alla Norma with aubergine, grilled sardines, Caponata, alongside Pecorino or a plate of Sicilian salami. Also a delight with pizza topped with savoury ingredients.
Special features
SP68 is Arianna’s calling card: the most direct expression of her conviction that Sicilian red wine can show elegance rather than power. Transparency instead of concentration – a wine that proves how finely Frappato can sing in the right hands.
