Region: Umbria

Zone:

Montefalco DOC

The hills surrounding the city of Montefalco, south of Perugia and in the heart of Umbria, include both Montefalco DOC and Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, and are located in a slightly hilly area stretching over the ridges west of Foligno.

Wine production in Umbria began already in the Middle Ages, when monks from the Benedictine Order, despite hefty morning and evening prayer activities, amazingly found time in their busy schedules to work with wine cultivation, and thus planted some of the oldest, and most typical, Umbrian grape varieties. And thank goodness for that.

It’s no exaggeration that the big brother in the area, heavyweight Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, has overshadowed all the other red wines in this part of Umbria, but the other wines were actually so highly respected and popular in previous centuries that a special body of laws was established in the 1400s in order to regulate production. In 1540, an additional law was instituted to establish on which date the grapes could be harvested.

The wines from Montefalco include various combinations of white and red wines, and ranges from everyday to high class wines. The prices are also quite reasonable in relation to the quality.

In 1992, the appellation Montefalco DOC was changed so that it only included a red wine and a white wine, and at the same time, the aged versions of the zone’s red wines were separated and elevated to Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG (or Montefalco Sagrantino).

In its best versions and from conscientious producers, Montefalco Rosso DOC is an exceptionally exciting red wine because the Sangiovese grape is combined in small quantities with the wild child, Sagrantino.

In other words, there’s not much to keep track of in this region, but what’s there, is exciting.

Read more about the wines from Montefalco DOC by clicking i the top menu in the right side.