Valle dell'Acate in Acate farms organically and produces one of the most consistent and graceful Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG bottlings. The single-varietal Il Frappato di Vittoria is a model of what organic Frappato can achieve: brighter acid, more floral lift and a longer drinking arc than conventionally farmed examples.
Tip: The Il Frappato di Vittoria is Valle dell'Acate's calling card. Available at quality Italian wine shops and through a small number of UK importers.
Address: Contrada Bidini, 97011 Acate, Ragusa, Italy, Sicily
Arianna Occhipinti founded her estate in 2004 at 21, making Frappato and Nero d'Avola with radical low-intervention principles. No added yeasts, no filtration, minimal sulfur. Her SP68 became one of Europe's most celebrated natural wines. Organic farming.
Tip: The SP68 Bianco (Albanello and Zibibbo blend) is the most individual wine in her range. Drink within two years of vintage; alive and fragile under 10 C storage.
The Calabretta family has farmed the Calderara contrada on the north face of Etna for over a century with minimal intervention. Their Etna Rosso and Riserva are made from pre-phylloxera alberello vines with no added yeasts, no fining and no filtration.
Tip: Calabretta's wines are available at natural wine bars and specialist shops in Catania and Palermo before reaching export. Buy directly at Randazzo when on Etna.
Arianna Occhipinti's wines are unfined and unfiltered with no animal-derived fining agents used. This is consistent with her low-intervention philosophy documented on the estate website and confirmed by natural wine importers De Maison Selections and Caves de Pyrene.
Tip: The SP68 range and the single-varietal Frappato and Nero d'Avola are all vegan-friendly by production method.
COS wines are unfined and unfiltered, fermented in amphora with native yeasts and without animal-derived fining agents. The pithos fermentation approach makes adding finings impractical; the vegan status is a function of production method rather than a deliberate certification.
Tip: The Pithos Bianco and Pithos Rosso are the most distinctive vegan expressions in the range; the natural amphora skin contact gives texture that replaces any need for fining.
Frank Cornelissen's wines are produced with no added sulfur (SO2), one of the strictest no-sulfur philosophies in Italian wine. The MunJebel and Magma wines show the result: very low total SO2 levels. The wines require careful storage at consistent temperatures and have a shorter drinking window than conventionally stabilised wines.
Tip: Store Cornelissen wines at 12-14 C without temperature fluctuation. Drink the entry-tier MunJebel within three to five years; allocate the Magma cuvees 5-10 years of careful cellaring.
Arianna Occhipinti adds minimal sulfur only at bottling, as documented by her importers De Maison Selections and Caves de Pyrene. The SP68 range and single varietals are among Italy's benchmark minimal-sulfur wines, achieving stability through farming quality and gentle winemaking rather than chemical additions.
Tip: Transport Occhipinti wines with care; the minimal-sulfur approach means the wines are sensitive to heat and light during shipping. Buy from temperature-controlled specialist retailers.
