Sicily, Italy: Azienda Agricola Occhipinti

Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti is a Sicilian estate near Vittoria. Owner-winemaker Arianna Occhipinti is well-known as a key proponent of the natural wine movement, and has had a meteoric rise to prominence since her first vintage was released in 2006, when she was still only 24 years old. The estate consists of 22 hectares (54 acres) of vineyards planted to Nero d'Avola and Frappato, and 1.5ha (4 acres) of Albanello and Zibbibo (Muscat of Alexandria). The vineyards are not all certified organic, but are farmed without pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical or synthetic fertilizers. The winery was constructed in 2012 following the purchase of an old farmhouse with an extra 7ha of vines. It has allowed Occhipinti to move from fermenting and aging the principal red wines in stainless steel and fibreglass to gravity-fed concrete tanks.