Interview with Arianna Occhipinti | Longer Tables Fund x MAD

{I started producing wine 20 years ago,} {renting one hectare of vineyards of} {Frappato di Vittorio and Nero d'Avola,} {our indigenous grape.} {My name is Arianna Occhipinti.} {I come from Sicily,} {in the southeast of Sicily,} {in the province of Ragusa in Vittoria.} {I'm a winemaker and I work with artisanal method,} {in a way,} {natural wine.} {Natural wine is a controversial topic.} {It's a wine of respect,} {it's a wine of story,} {it's a wine of tradition,} {it's a wine of the future.} {The result of all of this,} {of course,} {coming from a good agriculture,} {sustainable agriculture,} {is pure products.} {So indigenous grapes for me are the potential of our land,} {maybe the best way to transmit the power of the} {soil and the power of the Mediterranean agriculture.} {Maybe without the movement of natural wine,} {we were still in the period of the conventional agriculture, of the people.} {that they were not respecting the soil,} {the agriculture.} {Maybe we changed the mentality of big winery to turn the project,} {agricultural project,} {maybe not the wine still,} {but for sure the agriculture.} {And this was maybe the big goal of natural wine movements.} {So natural wine, I hope, will be the future.} {Every day producing wine,} {producing foods,} {maybe we are able to do is to sit,} {to enjoy, to share, and to create community.} {As a farmer,} {as a chef,} {people that work in this wonderful community,} {I'm very proud of this.}