The Amphora Pioneers & the Student's Cellar
Azienda Agricola COS is one of the most important and influential producers in Sicily — and arguably in all of Italy. Founded in 1980 by three university friends, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano, whose surnames give the estate its acronym. They took over a cellar from the 1880s in the Bastonaca area near Vittoria and produced their first vintage — 1,470 bottles — while waiting for university to begin. Today, COS is the benchmark for biodynamic viticulture, amphora winemaking, and the elegant expression of Sicilian indigenous varieties. Around 30 hectares of vines and 18 hectares of olive trees on poor soils with limestone 30–60 centimetres beneath red clay. No synthetic chemicals since 1980. Certified organic in 2007. Biodynamic since 2000. Indigenous yeasts. Extended skin contact. Minimal or no sulfur. Amphorae, concrete, and large neutral botti — never barriques. As Giusto says: the vineyard is our bank savings, so we must protect it.
Giambattista, Giusto & Cirino & the 1,470 Bottles
The story of Azienda Agricola COS begins with three friends and a summer with nothing to do. In 1980, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano — all from winegrowing families in the Vittoria area of southeastern Sicily — were preparing to start university. While waiting for classes to begin, Giambattista's father saw that the three young men had time on their hands and suggested they make wine. They took over an old cellar from the 1880s in the historic locality of Bastonaca, near Vittoria, and produced their first vintage: a mere 1,470 bottles. The acronym COS was born from the initials of their surnames — Cilia, Occhipinti, Strano. They became, at that moment, the youngest winemakers in Italy.
None of them were trained winemakers. Giusto Occhipinti, who would become the estate's public face and philosophical guide, was a trained architect. "I had to go to school again and learn how to make wine," he remembers. They sought advice along the way from Giacomo Tachis — the legendary creator of Super-Tuscans Solaia, Tignanello, and Sassicaia — who helped shape their understanding of what Sicilian wine could become. Cirino Strano eventually left the project to pursue medicine, selling his shares to his sister Giuseppina. Today, the estate is run by Giambattista (Titta) Cilia and Giusto Occhipinti, two of the original three, who have transformed a student project into one of the most respected names in Italian wine.
From the very beginning, the trio rejected the chemical agriculture that dominated Sicilian viticulture in the 1980s. They had never used synthetic or chemical additives in the vineyard — a conviction born not from trend but from the belief that the land must be protected as one protects life's savings. In 2000, COS officially converted to biodynamic viticulture, becoming one of the early practitioners in Sicily. Certification as organic followed in 2007. The climate of Vittoria — warm, dry, and well-ventilated — made this transition possible without the disease pressure that plagues more humid regions. Giusto and his team prepare many of the biodynamic treatments in-house — nettle teas, herbal preparations, and composts — though some are purchased from small, reputable sources.
The estate's evolution has been marked by continuous experimentation and deepening respect for tradition. In 2000, the Pithos project was born — a return to amphora ageing that would redefine the estate's identity and influence natural winemakers across Europe. Giusto researched ageing vessels extensively, testing oak, concrete, and steel before settling on 440-litre Spanish clay amphorae as the ideal vessel for expressing Vittoria's terroir without masking it. The result is a portfolio that spans from the joyous, floral Frappato — Sicily's answer to Cru Beaujolais — to the profound, amphora-aged Pithos Rosso and Bianco, wines that have become reference points for the natural wine movement worldwide.
"The vineyard is our bank savings so we must protect it."
— Giusto Occhipinti
Vittoria & the Bastonaca
Vittoria sits in the southeastern corner of Sicily, in the province of Ragusa — a landscape of red earth, limestone outcrops, and dry stone walls that marks the transition between the Iblean Mountains and the Mediterranean coast. It is a region of ancient Greek settlement, where viticulture dates back to the 8th century BCE, and where the local varieties — Frappato, Nero d'Avola, Grecanico, Insolia — have evolved over millennia to suit the hot, dry climate and the poor, mineral soils. Vittoria is home to Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily's only DOCG, and it is here that COS has established its benchmark reputation.
The COS estate extends over approximately 30 hectares of vines and 18 hectares of olive trees, located about 10 kilometres from the town of Vittoria in the historic locality of Bastonaca. The soil diversity is important across the property, but a common thread runs through every parcel: poor soils with limestone substrates found 30 to 60 centimetres beneath a layer of red clay. The limestone acts like a sponge, retaining moisture and feeding it slowly to the vines during the scorching Sicilian summers. The red clay provides body, warmth, and the iron-rich colour that gives the wines their depth. The result is not the muscular, overripe Nero d'Avola of hotter Sicilian zones, but an elegant, fresh, mineral expression that defies the island's reputation for heaviness.
The climate is Mediterranean — hot, dry, and windy — with significant diurnal temperature variation that preserves acidity despite the latitude. Rainfall is low, and irrigation is minimal; Giusto adds only some water during the hottest summers, relying on the limestone sponge to maintain subsoil moisture. The vines are forced to struggle, producing small berries with thick skins and concentrated flavours. The dry conditions also mean that fungal diseases are rare, making organic and biodynamic viticulture genuinely viable without constant chemical intervention. The estate's biodiversity is encouraged through cover crops, wild herbs, and the 18 hectares of olive groves that surround the vineyards, creating a polycultural ecosystem that supports beneficial insects and microbial soil life.
Viticulture is organic and biodynamic — certified organic since 2007, biodynamic since 2000. No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers have been used since the estate's founding in 1980. Giusto prepares many biodynamic treatments in-house, including nettle teas and herbal preparations, and maintains a dynamiser for stirring the preparations. The team works manually, with careful canopy management to protect the grapes from the intense Sicilian sun while allowing air circulation. The old vines — some dating back to the original plantings — are preserved rather than replanted for yield, producing grapes of exceptional concentration and natural balance. This is not merely sustainable agriculture; it is regenerative viticulture that improves the soil with each passing vintage.
Azienda Agricola COS is located in the Bastonaca area, about 10km from Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa. Founded in 1980 by three university friends in an 1880s cellar. Today run by Giambattista (Titta) Cilia and Giusto Occhipinti. Approximately 30 hectares of vines and 18 hectares of olive trees. Certified organic since 2007; biodynamic since 2000. No synthetic chemicals since 1980. The estate is a benchmark for Sicilian viticulture and one of the most influential producers in Italy.
The soils are poor and diverse, but everywhere limestone lies 30–60cm beneath a layer of red clay. The limestone acts as a sponge, retaining moisture and feeding the vines through the hot, dry summers. The red clay provides body, warmth, and iron-rich depth. This combination produces not the muscular Nero d'Avola of hotter zones but an elegant, fresh, mineral expression. Giusto never adds fertiliser, organic or otherwise: "If you do, you change the terroir." A terroir of stone, iron, and ancient Greek memory.
No synthetic or chemical additives since 1980 — predating the organic certification movement. Officially biodynamic since 2000; certified organic since 2007. Giusto and his team prepare many biodynamic treatments in-house — nettle teas, herbal preparations, composts. A dynamiser is used for stirring preparations. The warm, dry climate of Vittoria makes organic and biodynamic viticulture genuinely viable. Cover crops, wild herbs, and olive groves create a polycultural ecosystem. The vineyard is protected as one protects life's savings.
The winery occupies a cellar from the 1880s — a period when phylloxera had devastated mainland Europe but had not yet reached Sicily, and demand for Sicilian wine was enormous. The historic locality of Bastonaca gives the estate its sense of place and its connection to the pre-phylloxera past. The old stone buildings, the dry-stone walls, and the ancient vine training systems are preserved as part of the agricultural heritage. The cellar has been adapted over four decades but retains the atmosphere of a working farm rather than a modern factory. A winery of stone, time, and student ambition.
Pithos & the 440-Litre Clay
The winemaking philosophy at Azienda Agricola COS is governed by a single obsession: the transparency of soil. Giusto Occhipinti seeks to have the character of the Vittoria terroir conveyed directly into the wines, without the aromatic mask of new oak, the sterility of excessive technology, or the homogenisation of industrial winemaking. To achieve this, he conducted extensive research into ageing vessels, testing oak barrels, concrete tanks, stainless steel, and eventually settling on a combination of 440-litre Spanish clay amphorae, large neutral botti, and concrete tanks. Clay is porous like oak, allowing the wine to breathe and evolve, but it imparts no flavour — not even the subtle vanilla or toast of large, old casks. The wine that emerges tastes of grape, of soil, and of time, but never of wood.
The amphorae — called pithos, from the Greek word for the ancient clay storage jar — are the estate's signature. Buried partially in the earth or standing in the cool cellar, these 440-litre Spanish terracotta vessels are used for both fermentation and ageing of many of the estate's wines. For the Pithos Bianco, Grecanico grapes ferment and macerate on their skins for seven months inside the amphora, transforming the white grape into an orange wine of extraordinary texture and complexity. For the Pithos Rosso, Nero d'Avola ages entirely in amphora instead of oak, producing a wine that is simultaneously structured and transparent, with tannins that are fine and integrated rather than extracted and woody. Stainless steel is used only for assembling wines prior to bottling — never for ageing.
Extended skin contact is another pillar of the COS method. Giusto believes that prolonged contact between juice and skins — for whites as well as reds — provides natural preservatives that allow the wines to age and develop with little or no added sulfur. The Pithos Bianco spends seven months on skins; the Rami Bianco spends ten days in concrete; the Cerasuolo di Vittoria derives its colour and structure from careful maceration. This is not skin contact for shock value; it is skin contact as a tool of preservation and expression, rooted in the ancient winemaking traditions of the Mediterranean. Indigenous yeasts carry out all fermentations spontaneously. There is no chaptalisation, no enzymatic correction, no acidification.
Sulfur is treated with the same pragmatism that governs every other decision at COS. Little or no sulfur is used during vinification; when necessary, a minimal addition is made at bottling to protect the wine during transport. The wines are unfiltered, or only lightly filtered, preserving the natural textures and microbial life that give them energy and the capacity to evolve in bottle. The result is a portfolio of wines that are unmistakably Sicilian — warm, sun-drenched, and mineral — but also remarkably fresh, pure, and elegant. As one critic noted, COS proved that Sicily, despite its location at the very southern tip of Italy, could produce complex, pure, and fresh wines that drew the attention of the world to the island's potential.
The Pithos Project & the Return to Clay
In 2000, COS launched the Pithos project — a deliberate, researched return to the most ancient of winemaking vessels: the clay amphora. Giusto Occhipinti had spent years experimenting with oak, concrete, and steel before discovering that 440-litre Spanish terracotta amphorae offered the ideal combination of breathability and neutrality. Buried in the earth or standing in the cool 1880s cellar, these vessels allow the wine to evolve through micro-oxygenation without imparting any flavour of their own. The Pithos Bianco — Grecanico on skins for seven months in amphora — and the Pithos Rosso — Nero d'Avola aged entirely in clay — have become reference points for the natural wine movement worldwide. They are wines that taste of Vittoria: the limestone sponge, the red clay, the Sicilian sun, and the ancient Greek memory of the island. In an era when barrique toast dominates so much of Italian wine, COS's commitment to clay is not merely unconventional; it is a philosophical statement that the vessel should serve the terroir, not replace it.
The Portfolio & the Cuvées
Azienda Agricola COS produces a focused portfolio of biodynamic wines that express the indigenous varieties and distinct terroirs of Vittoria. All wines are made from organically and biodynamically farmed estate grapes, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and aged in amphorae, concrete, or large neutral botti — never in small oak barrels. Extended skin contact is employed for many cuvées, providing natural preservatives that allow minimal sulfur use. The wines are unfiltered or only lightly filtered, and they are meant to express the pure character of the soil, the grape, and the Sicilian sun. The following represents the core cuvées as they have emerged from four decades of biodynamic winemaking in Bastonaca.
"Clay is like oak — the wine breathes — but the advantage with clay is that it gives no taste to the wine."
— Giusto Occhipinti
The Architect of Vittoria & the Ancestral Clay
To understand Azienda Agricola COS, one must understand the concept of the architect of Vittoria — a viticultural identity that combines technical training with peasant intuition. Giusto Occhipinti is not merely a vigneron; he is a trained architect who approaches winemaking as a problem of space, material, and light. The cellar is not a factory but a building; the amphora is not a vessel but a room; the wine is not a product but a structure that must breathe, settle, and find its equilibrium. This architectural sensibility is visible in every decision: the choice of 440-litre amphorae because they are the right scale for the wine; the refusal of barriques because they impose their own architecture on the liquid; the layout of the 1880s cellar because old stone creates conditions that new concrete cannot replicate. The architect of Vittoria does not impose form; he reveals it.
The ancestral clay identity that COS embodies is equally central. The Pithos project is not a marketing gimmick; it is a return to the most ancient winemaking technology of the Mediterranean — the clay jar buried in the earth, used by the Greeks who planted the first vines in Sicily 2,800 years ago. Giusto's research into vessels led him not forward to the latest technology but backward to the oldest, because the oldest methods often prove the most transparent. Clay breathes like oak but speaks less; it allows the wine to become what the soil and the grape intend, without the translator of wood. The ancestral clay identity is not nostalgia; it is a functional choice that happens to carry deep cultural resonance — a proof that the best innovations are sometimes rediscoveries.
The future of Azienda Agricola COS is tied to the deepening of Giusto and Titta's relationship with their Bastonaca terroir — the continued biodynamic cultivation of the 30 hectares, the preservation of the old vines, the refinement of their amphora and concrete vinification, the development of new cuvées that explore the full potential of Frappato, Nero d'Avola, Grecanico, and Zibibbo on limestone and red clay, and the strengthening of their position in the natural wine markets of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria will continue to carry the banner of Sicily's only DOCG; the Pithos Bianco and Rosso will continue to be reference points for amphora wine globally; the Frappato will continue to charm with its Beaujolais-like freshness; and the olive oil will continue to remind those who visit that COS is a farm, not merely a winery.
In an age of industrial wine production, of chemical agriculture and homogenised taste, Azienda Agricola COS stands as a compelling alternative — not because it rejects Sicily but because it has embraced a different Sicily, one that values indigenous varieties over international grapes, biodynamic farming over chemical convenience, amphora over barrique, concrete over steel, extended skin contact over sterile freshness, old vines over new plantings, and the specific voice of Bastonaca's limestone and red clay over the standardised replication of a global style. Giambattista Cilia and Giusto Occhipinti are not merely making wine; they are building a legacy — from the 1,470 bottles of 1980 to the global recognition of today, from the student cellar to the benchmark estate, from the 1880s stone building to the 440-litre Spanish amphora. The three friends, the 1980 harvest, the 2000 Pithos project, the 2007 organic certification, the biodynamic preparations, the no-sulfur cuvées, the unfiltered wines, and the name that has meant Sicilian natural wine for four decades: all united in one bottle, one estate, one unanswerable argument for the possibility of authentic, place-specific, heritage-rooted, creatively evolving artisan wine at the southern tip of Italy.
Giusto Occhipinti is a trained architect who approaches winemaking as a problem of space, material, and light. The cellar is a building; the amphora is a room; the wine is a structure that must breathe and find equilibrium. The 440-litre amphorae are the right scale; barriques are rejected because they impose their own architecture; the 1880s stone building creates conditions that new concrete cannot replicate. The architect does not impose form; he reveals it. This sensibility — technical, precise, yet deeply respectful of the existing landscape — defines every wine that leaves the estate.
The Pithos project is not a marketing gimmick but a return to the most ancient winemaking technology of the Mediterranean — the clay jar buried in the earth, used by the Greeks who planted Sicily's first vines 2,800 years ago. Giusto's research led him not forward to the latest technology but backward to the oldest, because the oldest methods often prove the most transparent. Clay breathes like oak but speaks less; it allows the wine to become what the soil and grape intend, without the translator of wood. The ancestral clay identity is not nostalgia; it is a functional choice that carries deep cultural resonance — proof that the best innovations are sometimes rediscoveries.