Wine This Week, Vol. I: 2011 Arianna Occhipinti SP 68

So, I thought I might start focusing on one locally-sourced wine each week for those readers looking for new wines that can be easily found in and around Decatur. Often, I write about my adventures drinking wines that could be featured in RichKidsofInstagram, but I'm not sure that does anything other than feed my own ego. So, that being said, I'm going to write about one wine each week that can be found around town and costs under $25. For Vol. 1, a wine from the lovely and talented Arianna Occhipinti.

Arianna Occhipinti has been making a bit of a splash in the wine world in recent years. Despite being only 29, she has been making natural wines from vineyards in Sicily that speak of a place and its land. Arianna has a total of 10 hectares of Nero d’Avola and Frappato vines that, since April of 2009, have been farmed using biodynamic methods, adding complexity to the expression of the soils.

I recently tried her 2011 SP 68 IGT Sicilia Rossa, a red blend of two important Italian grapes,  Frappato and Nero d'Avola.The latter being arguably the most important of the Sicilian varieties. The wine is not unlike Cru Beaujolais in that it shows a good bit of minerality coupled with juicy dark fruit. It's earthy and complex, yet easy to drink with many dishes. For those in my area, this wine is available at The Little Wine Shop in Avondale Estates for around $20.