Umbria

Montefalco Rosso: Sangiovese with a splash of Sagrantino - the everyday red.

Mostly Sangiovese with a minority of Sagrantino for colour and grip. Cherry, plum and spice, softer than Sagrantino and ready on release; the Riserva is aged longer and fuller.

Mostly Sangiovese with a minority of Sagrantino for colour and grip. Cherry, plum and spice, softer than Sagrantino and ready on release; the Riserva is aged longer and fuller.

Montefalco Rosso from a good estate - the everyday staple.

Local character, food-friendly, ready to drink, and far cheaper than Sagrantino. Buy a few.

Local character, food-friendly, ready to drink, and far cheaper than Sagrantino. Buy a few.

Porchetta and Norcia salumi + Grechetto or Montefalco Rosso.

Umbria's pork tradition - herb-roasted porchetta, cured meats from Norcia. Acidity in the wine cuts the fat.

Umbria's pork tradition - herb-roasted porchetta, cured meats from Norcia. Acidity in the wine cuts the fat.

Montefalco Sagrantino: Umbria's dark, spicy, fiercely tannic flagship red.

Pure Sagrantino, aged for years in oak and bottle before release. Blackberry, plum, cinnamon and earth with massive grip - drink it with rich meat, or keep it for a decade.

Pure Sagrantino, aged for years in oak and bottle before release. Blackberry, plum, cinnamon and earth with massive grip - drink it with rich meat, or keep it for a decade.

Grilled lamb or wild boar + an aged Sagrantino.

Fat and protein are the only things that tame Sagrantino's tannin. Grilled, salty meat makes it taste rounder and fruitier.

Fat and protein are the only things that tame Sagrantino's tannin. Grilled, salty meat makes it taste rounder and fruitier.

Torgiano Rosso Riserva: Umbria's elegant, long-lived Sangiovese DOCG.

A tiny DOCG around the village of Torgiano near Perugia: Sangiovese-led and aged for years before release. Finer and more Tuscan in feel than Montefalco.

A tiny DOCG around the village of Torgiano near Perugia: Sangiovese-led and aged for years before release. Finer and more Tuscan in feel than Montefalco.

More Grechetto, better Orvieto.

Grechetto gives weight and flavour; high-yield Procanico gives neutrality. The best Orvieto is Grechetto-rich, steel-fermented and from Classico hills.

Grechetto gives weight and flavour; high-yield Procanico gives neutrality. The best Orvieto is Grechetto-rich, steel-fermented and from Classico hills.

Orvieto Classico = historic Umbrian heart; Superiore = riper, stricter.

Orvieto stretches into Lazio, but the Classico zone around the town sits on volcanic tufa and gives the most characterful wines. Superiore and the sweet Muffa Nobile and Vendemmia Tardiva styles sit above the basic wine.

Orvieto stretches into Lazio, but the Classico zone around the town sits on volcanic tufa and gives the most characterful wines. Superiore and the sweet Muffa Nobile and Vendemmia Tardiva styles sit above the basic wine.

Sagrantino's thick skins bring extreme tannin - aging and food tame it.

Sagrantino has among the highest tannin levels of any grape, roughly twice Cabernet or Nebbiolo. That's why it is aged so long and why good producers manage extraction carefully.

Sagrantino has among the highest tannin levels of any grape, roughly twice Cabernet or Nebbiolo. That's why it is aged so long and why good producers manage extraction carefully.

Taming Sagrantino: long aging, careful extraction, some new oak.

Producers limit how hard they extract the skins and give the wine years in wood and bottle; the wine spends years in the cellar before release.

Producers limit how hard they extract the skins and give the wine years in wood and bottle; the wine spends years in the cellar before release.

Spoleto DOC: home of revived Trebbiano Spoletino, a white with real grip.

A small DOC for Trebbiano Spoletino - still, Riserva, sparkling and passito. Many producers bottle the grape as Umbria IGT or within Montefalco Bianco instead.

A small DOC for Trebbiano Spoletino - still, Riserva, sparkling and passito. Many producers bottle the grape as Umbria IGT or within Montefalco Bianco instead.

Trebbiano Spoletino: a revived local white with zest and grip.

Not the bland Trebbiano of cheap whites: crisp, citrusy, herbal and age-worthy. Grown between Montefalco and Spoleto.

Not the bland Trebbiano of cheap whites: crisp, citrusy, herbal and age-worthy. Grown between Montefalco and Spoleto.

Local find: Trebbiano Spoletino or Sagrantino passito.

The revived white grape, or a half bottle of the traditional sweet red - both rarely exported.

The revived white grape, or a half bottle of the traditional sweet red - both rarely exported.

Lungarotti Rubesco Vigna Monticchio: the wine that made Torgiano's name.

The founding family of Torgiano wine; its single-vineyard Riserva is the appellation's reference and ages for decades.

Torgiano and Lungarotti are almost synonymous. Giorgio Lungarotti founded the estate in the early 1960s and built the reputation that put Torgiano on the wine map; the family also runs wine and olive-oil museums in the village. The house is highly regarded and good value, and Rubesco Vigna Monticchio Riserva is Torgiano's top wine. It comes from a single vineyard, is Sangiovese-led and, like all Torgiano Riserva, aged for years before release, developing savoury, leathery complexity alongside cherry fruit with time. The everyday Rubesco Rosso is the entry wine and a good restaurant choice. The estate now also farms in Montefalco. If you like mature Chianti Classico Riserva, Vigna Monticchio is the Umbrian bottle to try - and older vintages are often available at fair prices locally.

Barberani: organic family estate and Orvieto's top producer.

Orvieto's leading house; its Classico Superiore and sweet wines show how good the appellation can be.

Barberani is an organic family estate in the Orvieto Classico zone. It is the top producer of Orvieto, ahead of other good names such as Palazzone, Castello della Sala, Decugnano dei Barbi and Bigi. The house makes both sides of the appellation: dry Classico Superiore with the weight that a high share of Grechetto and well-placed vineyards bring, and sweet wines in the noble-rot tradition that made Orvieto famous centuries ago. Taste the dry and the sweet together to understand why Orvieto was once one of Italy's most prized wines. Ask for the Classico Superiore and the Muffa Nobile.

Orvieto's noble-rot tradition: sweet wine from grapes rotted in tufa caves.

Historically, Orvieto's grapes caught noble rot after picking, stored in humid caves carved into volcanic tufa. Today a few estates make Muffa Nobile in the vineyard instead.

Orvieto's medieval fame was as a sweet wine. The town sits on a plug of volcanic tufa riddled with caves dug since Etruscan times, and grapes - mainly Procanico - stored in these humid cellars developed noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) after harvest. Fermentation in the cool caves stopped early, leaving a golden, honeyed wine. From the mid-twentieth century the market shifted to dry whites, and today sweet and off-dry styles are under 5% of production. The appellation now recognises Muffa Nobile and Vendemmia Tardiva styles, with botrytis encouraged in the vineyard by the autumn mists around Lake Corbara and the Paglia and Tiber valleys. These wines balance honey and apricot with fresh acidity and pair classically with blue cheese. A tour of Orvieto's underground city shows the caves; a bottle of Muffa Nobile is the taste of that history.

Arnaldo Caprai: the house that put dry Sagrantino on the map.

Credited with reviving interest in Sagrantino before the DOCG; 25 Anni is its flagship.

Arnaldo Caprai is the name most associated with modern Sagrantino. Caprai, above all, is credited with turning Sagrantino - once mostly made sweet - into a serious dry red. The range is good value across the board, and its Grechetto Grecante is a white worth knowing. The flagship is Sagrantino 25 Anni: deep, dark and powerful, built for long cellaring, and the estate's polished style makes it a little more approachable young than the most traditional Sagrantinos, though still very tannic. For drinking on the trip, the Montefalco Rosso and Grecante are the value picks; 25 Anni is the bottle to bring home and forget.

Tabarrini: family estate bottling three single-vineyard Sagrantinos.

One of Sagrantino's good family houses; its crus Colle Grimaldesco, Colle alle Macchie and Campo alla Cerqua show the zone's site differences.

Tabarrini is a family estate near Montefalco and one of Sagrantino's good producers. It has become known for treating Sagrantino the way Barolo houses treat Nebbiolo: separate bottlings from individual vineyards. Colle Grimaldesco gets long aging in French oak and bottle before release; Colle alle Macchie and Campo alla Cerqua come from other sites and taste distinctly different, which makes a side-by-side tasting a lesson in Montefalco terroir. The estate also champions the local white Trebbiano Spoletino with its Adarmando, labelled Umbria IGT. If you want to understand how much Sagrantino varies by site, start here; if you want an everyday bottle, its Montefalco Rosso is the easier way in.

Altitude in Montefalco: fresher Sagrantino high up, denser lower down.

Higher-altitude Montefalco sites give Sagrantino more acidity and freshness; lower, warmer sites more concentration. Producers increasingly bottle single sites.

Montefalco's Sagrantino zone covers the hill town and parts of Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi and Giano dell'Umbria, and the vineyards vary noticeably in height and exposure. Upper slopes produce Sagrantino with brighter acidity, which helps balance the tannin and makes wines that feel less heavy; lower, warmer sites ripen more fully and give denser, darker wines. As the appellation has matured, more producers have turned to single-vineyard bottlings - Tabarrini's Colle Grimaldesco, Colle alle Macchie and Campo alla Cerqua are an example - and the vineyard name appears on the label. For the traveler, single-site wines are the place to taste the difference between parts of the zone, but expect to pay more and to wait longer: these are the most structured wines of all.

Paolo Bea: cult traditional, low-intervention Sagrantino.

A small family estate in Montefalco, famous among natural-wine drinkers for long-macerated, unfiltered wines.

Paolo Bea is a small family farm-winery in Montefalco and one of the zone's most traditional, hands-off producers. The approach - weeks of skin contact, natural yeasts, no fining or filtration, sulphur kept low, long aging in large casks - produces wines that are earthy, savoury and sometimes rustic, very different from the polished modern style. Bottles are scarce and priced at a premium, and the wines need time and decanting. Ask an enoteca in Montefalco which Bea wines are in stock - they sell out quickly. For anyone who loves natural or traditional Barolo, this is the Sagrantino to seek.

Tabarrini Adarmando: the Trebbiano Spoletino that drew attention to the grape.

A pure Trebbiano Spoletino from Montefalco, steel-aged for a year and labelled Umbria IGT - proof the grape can make a serious white.

Trebbiano Spoletino was long overlooked, grown in the valley between Montefalco and Spoleto and, traditionally, on vines trained up trees. Its revival owes much to a few Montefalco producers, and Tabarrini's Adarmando is one of the best known. Despite the grape's DOC home, Adarmando is labelled Umbria IGT; it is made entirely from the estate's own Trebbiano selection and given long aging in steel, then in bottle. The result has more texture, acidity and aromatic depth than the neutral Trebbiano Toscano that fills cheap Italian whites, with citrus, herbs and a salty finish. It ages well for several years. Look for other Trebbiano Spoletino bottlings - DOC Spoleto, Montefalco Bianco or IGT - in Montefalco's enoteche: it's the region's best white discovery.

Sagrantino passito: grapes dried for weeks, a sweet red for festivals.

The original Sagrantino: grapes dried after harvest, then fermented to a sweet, tannic red with blackberry and spice. Traditionally drunk at Easter.

Before the dry style took over from the 1970s onwards, Sagrantino was mainly a sweet wine, made by drying the grapes after harvest so that sugar and flavour concentrate. The DOCG still protects this passito style, and like the dry version it is aged for years before release. The result is unusual: a sweet red with the grape's full tannin, tasting of blackberry jam, plum, cinnamon and dark chocolate. Locals traditionally serve it with Easter cakes and roast lamb; it also works with dark chocolate or aged pecorino, where the sweetness meets salt and the tannin is softened by fat. Production is small and many estates make it in half bottles. It is the most distinctive bottle to take home from Montefalco.

Sagrantino's thick skins bring extreme tannin - aging and food tame it.

Sagrantino has among the highest tannin levels of any grape, roughly twice Cabernet or Nebbiolo. That's why it is aged so long and why good producers manage extraction carefully.

Sagrantino has among the highest tannin levels of any grape, roughly twice Cabernet or Nebbiolo. That's why it is aged so long and why good producers manage extraction carefully.

In the glass: Young: drying, grippy. With age and fatty food: spice, black fruit and earth come through.

More Grechetto, better Orvieto.

Grechetto gives weight and flavour; high-yield Procanico gives neutrality. The best Orvieto is Grechetto-rich, steel-fermented and from Classico hills.

Grechetto gives weight and flavour; high-yield Procanico gives neutrality. The best Orvieto is Grechetto-rich, steel-fermented and from Classico hills.

In the glass: More body, almond and pear; less dilute and neutral.

Altitude in Montefalco: fresher Sagrantino high up, denser lower down.

Higher-altitude Montefalco sites give Sagrantino more acidity and freshness; lower, warmer sites more concentration. Producers increasingly bottle single sites.

Montefalco's Sagrantino zone covers the hill town and parts of Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi and Giano dell'Umbria, and the vineyards vary noticeably in height and exposure. Upper slopes produce Sagrantino with brighter acidity, which helps balance the tannin and makes wines that feel less heavy; lower, warmer sites ripen more fully and give denser, darker wines. As the appellation has matured, more producers have turned to single-vineyard bottlings - Tabarrini's Colle Grimaldesco, Colle alle Macchie and Campo alla Cerqua are an example - and the vineyard name appears on the label. For the traveler, single-site wines are the place to taste the difference between parts of the zone, but expect to pay more and to wait longer: these are the most structured wines of all.

In the glass: High sites: fresher, more balanced. Lower sites: denser, riper.

Taming Sagrantino: long aging, careful extraction, some new oak.

Producers limit how hard they extract the skins and give the wine years in wood and bottle; the wine spends years in the cellar before release.

Producers limit how hard they extract the skins and give the wine years in wood and bottle; the wine spends years in the cellar before release.

In the glass: Softer, more integrated tannin; spice and dark fruit. Too much new oak adds vanilla over the fruit.

Blending Sagrantino into Sangiovese makes Montefalco Rosso.

A small share of Sagrantino adds colour, spice and grip to Sangiovese; the blend is softer and readier than pure Sagrantino.

A small share of Sagrantino adds colour, spice and grip to Sangiovese; the blend is softer and readier than pure Sagrantino.

In the glass: Fuller and darker than Chianti, gentler than Sagrantino.

Sagrantino passito: grapes dried for weeks, a sweet red for festivals.

The original Sagrantino: grapes dried after harvest, then fermented to a sweet, tannic red with blackberry and spice. Traditionally drunk at Easter.

Before the dry style took over from the 1970s onwards, Sagrantino was mainly a sweet wine, made by drying the grapes after harvest so that sugar and flavour concentrate. The DOCG still protects this passito style, and like the dry version it is aged for years before release. The result is unusual: a sweet red with the grape's full tannin, tasting of blackberry jam, plum, cinnamon and dark chocolate. Locals traditionally serve it with Easter cakes and roast lamb; it also works with dark chocolate or aged pecorino, where the sweetness meets salt and the tannin is softened by fat. Production is small and many estates make it in half bottles. It is the most distinctive bottle to take home from Montefalco.

In the glass: Sweet, dense, tannic; blackberry jam, spice, chocolate.

Orvieto's noble-rot tradition: sweet wine from grapes rotted in tufa caves.

Historically, Orvieto's grapes caught noble rot after picking, stored in humid caves carved into volcanic tufa. Today a few estates make Muffa Nobile in the vineyard instead.

Orvieto's medieval fame was as a sweet wine. The town sits on a plug of volcanic tufa riddled with caves dug since Etruscan times, and grapes - mainly Procanico - stored in these humid cellars developed noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) after harvest. Fermentation in the cool caves stopped early, leaving a golden, honeyed wine. From the mid-twentieth century the market shifted to dry whites, and today sweet and off-dry styles are under 5% of production. The appellation now recognises Muffa Nobile and Vendemmia Tardiva styles, with botrytis encouraged in the vineyard by the autumn mists around Lake Corbara and the Paglia and Tiber valleys. These wines balance honey and apricot with fresh acidity and pair classically with blue cheese. A tour of Orvieto's underground city shows the caves; a bottle of Muffa Nobile is the taste of that history.

In the glass: Honey, apricot, saffron with fresh acidity.

Skin contact and minimal intervention at a few Montefalco estates.

Producers such as Paolo Bea ferment whites on their skins and use native yeasts and little sulphur, making earthy, textured wines.

Producers such as Paolo Bea ferment whites on their skins and use native yeasts and little sulphur, making earthy, textured wines.

In the glass: Amber whites with grip and dried-fruit notes; savoury, earthy reds.