I am somewhat sheepish to admit that before tasting the wines of COS, I was not familiar with the estate. Given their glowing reputation and my fascination with Italian wine, I´m not quite sure how I remained in the dark for so long. But the truth is that it was pure serendipity that struck two and half years ago when we were looking for a producer of Frappato and Cerasuolo di Vittoria and stopped by their stand to taste. As soon as we put glass to lip, it became immediately apparent that the wines were something extraordinary.

The genesis of COS is quite a charming story. Azienda Agricola COS was founded in 1980 by three dear friends: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano (the first letter of each last name makes up the acronym of the winery). The boys received an old family winery from Giambattista´s father and harvested their first vintage in October of 1980. At that time, they were the youngest wine producers in all of Italy. This project, which might have seemed a youthful flight of fancy, has shown itself to be anything but. The young men worked and studied and were tremendous advocates of their winemaking zone. With time, both the winery´s and region´s stars rose: COS acquired a well deserved reputation for impeccable quality and Vittoria was awarded the only DOCG designation in all of Sicily for the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG.

COS embraces a biodynamic philosophy in the vineyards. For those who may not be familiar with the concept, it stems from a belief that everything in the universe is interconnected and gives off a resonance. The interconnectivity of everything reaches even to celestial bodies like the moon, planets and stars. As it relates to viticulture, biodynamics implores balance in the resonance between vine, man, earth and stars. Biodynamic agriculture actually predates organic farming. We can see inklings of this philosophy in the farming practices of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks and also in the Farmers´ Almanac of the United States, published since the early 19th century.

In the cellars, COS ferments and vinifies in neutral vessels - steel and terracotta amphorae - with the goal of allowing the unique terroir of Vittoria to shine. The evolution from barrel to amphorae encapsulates something that we love about COS. There is a boundless sense of curiosity. The estate - like its founders - is in a state of evolution, and that shows in the wines. While there is experimentation, the identity of COS is grounded in a fidelity to the land and ancestral traditions. Somehow instead of causing tension, this leads to magnificently soulful and joyful wines with an unambiguous sense of place.