Having now finished seven tours to Umbria over the last two months I have time to reflect on the exciting discoveries we have made in this relatively unknown wine region.
By Italian wine production standards, Umbria is the fifth smallest region and given that it sits in the shadow of famous Tuscany, it is an uphill struggle to get their wines out to a wider audience.
The net result is that the Umbrian wine industry has a certain rawness about it, lacking the sophistication of its more established neighbour, but therein lies its charm. We felt we were part of a real landscape, not one that is manicured to exquisite perfection – and of course we ate the fruits of the wonderful produce from the fields and orchards, and strolled around historic Perugia, where every evening produced a different set of sounds and sights.
The winemakers we met in Montefalco were poles apart in terms of history but equal in their fervent desire to tell the Sagrantino story.
Following a wonderful tour of the vineyards and winery escorted by Francisco and Carolina, our tasting at Dionigi was truly comprehensive. Never before have we been faced with 10 huge glasses each as we embarked on a voyage of discovery encompassing Grechettos, Rosso di Montefalcos, a vertical tasting of five vintages of Sagrantino di Montefalco and an examination of their fabulous dessert wines made from Moscato, Grechetto and the amazing Sagrantino again.
At Cantina Raina, Francesco cooked a delicious four course meal that complemented his selection of Montefalco wines beautifully.
Giovanni Cenci enthralled us on Saturday mornings with his youthful enthusiasm and passion for five hectares of organically farmed local grapes, and spoilt us with home cured salami, asparagus tart and amazing cheeses. And I mustn’t forget the first group’s visit to the bank manager! Moreno Peccia owns 2 hectares of vines in the village of Spina.
Our destination on Saturdays was just a few miles south of our hotel in beautiful Perugia. Torgiano is one of the most historic wine regions in Umbria and Italy, being one of the first to be accorded DOC & DOCG status yet remains relatively unknown.
Federico Bibi at Terre Margaritelli gave us a wonderful insight into the history and development of this area, and the development of the biggest organic vineyard in the region, followed by a sensational tasting lunch cooked by top chef (and coincidentally Federico’s wife) that showcased the fabulous wines of the estate.
Of course, given our proximity to Tuscany we took a day out to visit Montalcino, home of Brunello di Montalcino. The polished wines of Poggio San Polo (one of the most high-tech organic wineries I have ever visited) were a delight and gave us all an insight into the magnificent heights that Sangiovese can attain. My thanks to Nicola Bossi (winemaker) and Julia (brand manager) who hosted us so well.
On some of our tours we visited Salcheto in Montepulciano for lunch. An amazing organic winery with some serious state of the art kit and the most incredible natural lighting system I have ever seen. Some of us also visited Alfonso Baldetti – a pioneer of the Cortona DOC – where Syrah is the principal grape variety.
I apologise to Tour 7 that I didn’t get a chance to write specifically about our visits, but I know everyone found them as fascinating and our hosts as welcoming as all the previous tours had.
Overall, the wonderful personalities that we met, the lavish hospitality we enjoyed and the beautiful surroundings we revelled in made for seven simply super tours.
