This 'green heart of Italy', as the region is also called, is located in the middle of Italy, bordering Tuscany, the Marches, and Lazio.
The dry, white Orvieto is undoubtedly Umbria's most famous wine. This wine has long been around the town of the same name, known for its beautiful cathedral, made from the Procanico (the local name for the Trebbiano toscano), the Verdello, the Grechetto and the Canaiolo bianco. In the past, however, the Orvieto was a golden yellow, sweet wine, widely praised by popes, princes and artists. But tastes change and with it the Orvieto: winemakers saw more benefit in the production of a pale yellow, dry variant of the Orvieto with the advent of modern vinification techniques. Thanks to the lower yields per hectare, a careful grape selection and a short soaking on the skin, which optimally brings out the aromas and flavors, the wine has improved considerably in recent years. The revival of the sweet version has only started in recent years, but it is hardly exported. The dry Orvieto, on the other hand, can count as one of the best-selling DOC wines abroad. The wine goes well with various risottos and spicy fish dishes.
After a thorough restructuring of the vineyard area, the region currently produces some million hectoliters of wine on an area of 16,500 hectares, within which the share of DOCG and DOC wines is 20%. In addition to the 2 DOCGs in the region, it also has 11 DOCs and 6 IGTs.
The first DOCG was awarded in 1990 to the Torgiano Rosso Riserva, the second followed in 1992 to the Montefalco Sagrantino. The first wine is made in the area of Torgiano, in the province of Perugia. It is a blend of various native grape varieties, of which the Sangiovese and the Canaiolo form the main basis. The Torgiano Rosso Riserva is placed on the market after a compulsory wood aging of at least 3 years. Characteristics are a bright ruby red color, a delicate and fruity aroma, a dry, velvety taste.
The second DOCG is assigned to the dry version of the Montefalco Sagrantino as well as to the passito version. The dry Montefalco Sagrantino is made entirely of the Sagrantino in the vicinity of the town of Montefalco, has a ruby red color that can change over the years to garnet red and an aromatic scent of wood and blackberry. The taste is dry, full and harmonious. This wine has a minimum wood aging of 30 months. The same rules apply to the passito variant, although the grapes in this case undergo partial drying (appassimento), which gives the wine its specific sweet character. Both (dry) DOCG wines are excellent accompaniments to numerous meat dishes and also go well with dishes that contain truffle. The area of Montefalco has, just like the area of Torgiano, a separate DOC which includes many other, lighter, red but also white wines.
The DOC Colli del Trasimeno includes various white wines from the Trebbiano and Grechetto, but also Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio. The DOC also produces light red wines mainly from Merlot, Cabernet and Gamay. The Vin Santo, of the Grechetto and / or Malvasia is largely consumed by the locals themselves.
