COS

This story begins with three young friends who were trying to keep busy one summer. It has culminated with the creation of one of the most legendary and important wineries in Sicily.

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BIODYNAMIC

Three Sicilians talking
Sicilian vineyard covercrops
Amphora with grapes
Wine in tanks

At A Glance

COS is a legendary producer that helped pave the way for the natural wine movement. It all started in 1980 with three friends fresh out of high school. The three friends; Giambattista ‘Titta’ Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano, started making wine with some of the family vineyards and they were hooked – COS is an acronym for their last names. They returned to the roots of winemaking, eventually adding Amphora for aging some of the wines -Amphora (Pithos) are large clay pots that predated barrels. In the heart of Sicily’s only DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, COS is producing some of the most respected natural wines in the world, while still maintaining the classic style and character of their region. Certified organic with biodynamic practices.

EU certified organic icon  biodynamic icon

LOCATION: Sicily

REGION: Cerasuolo di Vittoria

WINEMAKERS: Giusto Occhipinti, Titta Cilia

ESTATE OWNER: Giusto Occhipinti, Titta Cilia

FARMING: Certified organic with biodynamic practices

KEY GRAPE VARIETIES: Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Zibibbo, Grecanico, Inzolia, Grillo

Wine in amphora in Sicily
The Wines

Additional Resources

“Wine is our soul, our job, our rhythms, and our art. Wine is the fruit of patience, patience that is needed to work with what each season provides us with, our efforts and then waiting for nature to work its magic. ” –Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano and Giusto Occhipinti