Umbria

Question 1

Introduce a table to Umbria

Answer 1

Umbria, one of Italy’s few landlocked regions, has a much less illustrious reputation for wine than Tuscany, its neighbor to the west. The small region lies in the shadow of the Apennines, its climate moderated by maritime winds funneling from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The region—slow to develop and rustic in comparison to its neighbors—ironically provided the noted physicist Enrico Fermi with a wine to toast the first successful nuclear reaction of the Manhattan Project: Orvieto. Orvieto DOC, a clean, light white wine produced from Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano (Procanico), is responsible for a majority of the region’s production. The wine suffers from overproduction and overexpansion of the DOC zone, although wines from the classico zone surrounding the medieval city of Orvieto itself can show mineral intensity and depth. Orvieto DOC wines are generally dry, although they may be sweet, and even botrytised. A new encépagement engineered in 2003 emphasizes the native Grechetto grape over the blander Trebbiano Toscana and may lead to a higher base standard of wine in the future. Within the territory of Orvieto, solid red wines are produced on the tuffeau soils of Lago di Corbara DOC.

Question 2

What are the the DOCGS for red wines from Umbria?

Answer 2

Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG and Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG.

Question 3

Introduce a table to Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 3

Sagrantino di Montefalco is produced from 100% Sagrantino; the resulting wines are naturally high in alcohol and tannin, and are aged for a minimum 37 months, including 12 months in wood for the dry wines. The secco style of Sagrantino di Montefalco is a recent development; historically the wines were produced as passito. The DOCG allows both styles. Marco Caprai and Paolo Bea demonstrate the high quality of the wine, in respectively modern and traditional fashion.

Question 4

Introduce a table to Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG

Answer 4

Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG is produced from 70-100% Sangiovese, with a minimum three years of aging prior to release—including six months in bottle. Standard Torgiano bottlings—varietal wines, Rosso, Bianco, spumante—are simply DOC. The Lungarotti family, Torgiano’s largest producer, was instrumental in the elevation of Torgiano Rosso Riserva to DOCG in 1990.

Question 5

When was Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG Established?

Answer 5

1992

Question 6

Minimum Planting Density for Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG

Answer 6

4,000 vines per hectare

Question 7

Maximum Yields for Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 7

8 tons/ha

Question 8

Aging Requirements for Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 8

Secco: Minimum 37 months from December 1 of the harvest year, including at least 12 months in wood and 4 months in bottle
Passito: Minimum 37 months from December 1 of the harvest year, including at least 4 months in bottle

Question 9

Minimum Alcohol for Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 9

Secco: 13%
Secco with “Vigna” indication: 13.5%
Passito: 18% (14.5% effective)

Question 10

Varieties for Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 10

100% Sagrantino

Question 11

Minimum/Maximum Residual Sugar for Sagrantino di Montefalco

Answer 11

Passito: 80-180 g/l