Azienda Agricola COS
A skin-contact Zibibbo from COS in Vittoria, fermented and aged seven months in 400-litre terracotta amphorae. Golden amber, with candied orange peel, apricot and a saline, almost iodine edge. Dry, textured and biodynamic.
Seven months on the skins in terracotta gives this Zibibbo its amber colour, candied orange peel and a saline, iodine-tinged core. Drinkers on Vivino most often reach for orange, apricot, honey and orange blossom.
The nose is unmistakably Zibibbo: candied orange peel, apricot and a top note of orange blossom and jasmine, the aromatics Muscat of Alexandria is loved for. Seven months on the skins in terracotta adds a savoury, almost iodine lift beneath the fruit. Vivino drinkers reach most often for orange and citrus peel, then honey and dried apricot.
Orange peel
Jasmine
Orange blossom
Apricot
Raisin
Wet stones
Almond
HoneyDry, with the gentle skin-contact tannin that gives orange wine its grip rather than any sweetness. Candied citrus and stone fruit ride a saline, mineral spine that echoes the red Pliocene sands near Marsala where the grapes grow. Medium-bodied and unoaked, it finishes drier and more savoury than the perfumed nose suggests.
The close is long and saline, with a bitter-orange and almond echo drawn from the months of skin and amphora contact.
A characterful, biodynamic Sicilian orange wine that the Vivino crowd rates 4.0 across more than 1,800 ratings: best with food, and a benchmark introduction to COS's amphora range.
Two UK merchants list it now, the in-stock 2024 around 32 pounds and an older 2022 closer to 18. A small-production amphora wine, so availability shifts vintage by vintage.
Scored for the way an amphora orange wine actually drinks: hugely food-friendly and a real conversation bottle, but a leap for anyone new to skin contact.
Skin-contact tannin, fresh acidity and aromatic Muscat make it exceptionally food-friendly across cheese, mezze and fried food.
A distinctive, conversation-starting orange wine from a benchmark biodynamic estate, ideal for adventurous dinners.
At roughly 18 to 32 pounds it is fairly priced for a hand-made, biodynamic amphora wine, though not an everyday bargain.
A characterful, food-loving bottle rather than a casual midweek white, and priced above everyday level.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Sicilia denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.
Three vintages circulate here, 2022 to 2024. Vivino rates the 2023 highest of recent years; each is a wild-yeast, amphora-aged Zibibbo built more on texture than on vintage swing.
Harvested in early September and given six to seven months on the skins in amphora. Bright and aromatic in youth; drink now or hold a few years.
Vivino's best-rated recent vintage of this wine. Skin-contact Zibibbo with apricot and saline lift; approachable now, with several years in reserve.
A warm, dry south-east Sicilian growing season behind an amber, textured Zibibbo. Drinking well now, the amphora ageing keeping it fresh.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
COS revived terracotta-amphora winemaking in Sicily in 2000, naming the Pithos range after the Greek word for the vessel. The estate farms biodynamically near Vittoria and sources this Zibibbo from Marsala.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Sicilia is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Sicilia falls within Sicily , covering Sicily.
COS farms biodynamically and hand-picks in early September, sourcing Zibibbo from red Pliocene sands near Marsala. Certified-organic, low-yield fruit costs more than bulk Sicilian white.
Fermentation and six to seven months on the skins in imported terracotta pithoi tie up costly vessels and cellar space far longer than a quick tank white.
Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and no oak or additions raises risk and lowers volume, a premium built into the bottle.
COS is a reference name in Italian natural wine; limited amphora bottlings and collector demand hold the UK price around 32 pounds for the current vintage.
UK alcohol duty of 2.67 pounds per still bottle at or below 15% ABV, plus 20% VAT, account for several pounds of the roughly 32-pound shelf price before retailer margin.
Bottled as flexible Terre Siciliane IGT rather than a tightly regulated DOCG, the appellation adds no scarcity premium and keeps it below COS's Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
Dishes that complement this wine
Skin-contact grip and aromatic Muscat lift make this a table wine for big flavours: aged pecorino, fried arancini, baked aubergine and sesame-rich Levantine mezze.
Aged pecorino is salty and fat-rich. The wine's skin-contact tannin and fresh acidity scrub the palate while its saline, mineral core meets the cheese on its own terms.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged pecorino · provolone piccante · ricotta salata · More pairings →
Tahini, cumin and herbs can flatten a delicate white. The aromatic Muscat lift and gentle phenolic grip of this Zibibbo bridge sesame and spice instead, holding their own against chickpea and garlic.
Try with: Hummus · Falafel · Tabbouleh · baba ganoush · More pairings →
Fresh acidity and a faint tannic grip cut through the fried, cheesy richness of arancini, resetting the palate between bites. A same-island pairing that plays to the wine's savoury side.
Try with: Arancini · panelle · crocchè · More pairings →
The wine's light skin-contact bitterness shadows the gentle bitterness of aubergine, while its acidity lifts a tomato sauce. Weight for weight it sits comfortably with baked, layered vegetable dishes.
Try with: Eggplant parmesan · caponata · roasted peppers · More pairings →
Warm spice on grilled or roast white meat finds an echo in Zibibbo's candied-orange and herb aromatics, and the wine's texture stands up to char without fighting the spice.
Try with: Chicken Shawarma · Kafta Kebab · grilled spiced chicken · More pairings →
Skip the briny but subtle end of the table. The skin-contact tannin and loud aromatics of an orange Zibibbo overwhelm raw oysters, sashimi and delicate crudo, which are better with a crisper, neutral Sicilian white such as Grillo or Catarratto.
Skip with: oysters · sashimi · sushi · crudo · ceviche · Pairing guide →
Built for drinking young, it still holds five years or more, the amphora texture deepening toward almond and dried apricot. Store it cool and serve at 8 to 10C.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Built for drinking young; it holds five years or so on its amphora texture but is not a wine for long cellaring.
£18.42 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:18 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumYes. It is made from 100% Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) with the skins left in contact through fermentation and six to seven months of ageing in terracotta amphorae, which gives it the amber colour and gentle grip of an orange wine.
Dry, not sweet. Expect candied orange peel, apricot and dried fruit over a saline, mineral core, with light skin-contact tannin and fresh acidity. It sits at around 12% alcohol.
Aged pecorino, Sicilian arancini and aubergine parmigiana, and Levantine mezze such as hummus and falafel. The skin-contact texture and aromatic lift handle spice, sesame and fried food.
From biodynamically farmed Zibibbo grown near Marsala, harvested in early September, fermented with wild yeasts on the skins in 400-litre amphorae, then aged in concrete before bottling. There is no oak.
It drinks well on release for its aromatics, and also holds for five years or more, the amphora texture deepening towards almond and dried fruit. Serve it at 8 to 10C.
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