The sun was shining brightly as we headed south of Siracusa towards Noto and round to the Vittoria DOC. This area is a big contrast to the volcanic terrain of Mount Etna with pale, sandy soils and plenty of limestone. Vittoria is also home to Sicily’s only DOCG – Cerasuola di Vittoria.
Our first stop was to the family estate of Arianna Occhipinti. Arianna set up the estate back in 2000 with just one hectare of rented Nero d’Avola. It was clearly a success as we fast forward to 2024 and she now has 30 hectares alongside pear trees, organic vegetables, rare wheat and carob. Marica hosted our event with her customary aplomb as we started our tour in the vineyard and received an excellent insight into the organic and biodynamic philosophy of the estate.
We took a quick tour of the winery and then headed into the tasting room. It was an eclectic mix of wines with some stunning textured Grillo, with the grapes from a 500m single vineyard plot, a pure Albanello white, a Frappato/Nero d’Avola blend and a stunning pure Frappato.
This was a top visit to a top estate
It was just a ten minute drive to Tenuta Bastonaca, another wonderful family estate right in the heart of the Vittoria area. Owner Silvana greeted us with great warmth and took us round the family estate. They are organically certified and have built an excellent reputation throughout Sicily and only distribute their wines to top restaurants and wine shops. We listened to classical music in the barrel cellar – they firmly believe the musical chords enhance the maturing wine.
Following a glass of Grillo and some garlic toasts, it was time for lunch!
A delightful selection of antipasti was followed by an aubergine pasta, a slice of pork in a rich mushroom sauce and the most heavenly cannoli I have ever tasted.
All paired with a selection of their excellent wines including a Passito Grillo – only 150 half bottles made.
It was a quiet bus home…..
