Every been to
Italy? Yes, there is Rome, and Milan and the other famous places. But
if you really want to live like the Italians do, go wine tasting in
Italy. One of our favorite places is Umbria. Umbria is a combination
of pastoral countryside and mountain wilderness. Nurtured by the
Tiber and its tributaries and Italy’s fourth largest lake, Lago
Trasimeno, the region is known as the “green heart of Italy” and
produces fine olive oil, truffles, grains, tobacco, and livestock,
along with its wonderful
Italian
wines. But Umbria also has a cluster of ancient cities, which
offers glimpses into the past. The Umbri, Etruscans, and Romans all
left their marks here. Magnificent Orvieto is perched on a plateau
and looks down on vineyards below. Its grand Duomo is among the
greatest of Italy’s Romanesque/Gothic cathedrals. Perugia’s
ancient center embraces a 15
th Century duomo, and the
city’s most extravagantly decorated church, founded in the 10
th
Century and rebuilt in the 15
th, stands beyond the old
walls. Medieval Assisi with its beautiful views and piazzas is the
home of St. Francis, who is buried in a basilica frescoed by Giotto
among others. And the nearby hill towns of Todi, Spello, Gubbio, and
Montefalco blend medieval monuments with Roman remains. Spoleto,
surrounded by woods, is the loveliest of the hill towns and hosts one
of Europe’s leading art festivals in June and July each year.
Noted mainly for its white wines, such
as Orvieto, Procanico, Malvasia, Grechetto, and Trebbiano, the region
also produces two noble red wines with special DOCG status, Torgiano
Rosso, which is called Rubesco, and Sagrantino, both unmistakably
grand wines, capable of aging for decades. The sweet white Vin Santo
is a local favorite and is made from semidried Grechetto or Malvasia
grapes.
Among the many outside varieties
planted in Umbria, Merlot and Barbera have been prominent for more
than a century. More recently, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Nero have
produced some fine wines.
Up until the late 1980s, nearly half of
Umbria’s vineyards were mixed agriculture, the vines often trained
onto trees or grown alongside other crops. But today, most vineyards
are monoculture, using vertical systems on wires strung between
poles.
recipe:
