Discovering Umbria: Italy’s Hidden Wine Gem

Underrated. Unappreciated. Overlooked. That’s Umbria. Always playing catch-up to neighboring Tuscany, with its celebrated Chiantis and Brunellos and swoon-worthy medieval hill towns. Umbria’s wine culture “dates back to the Etruscans, from the 8th to 1st centuries BCE,” but Umbria has yet to claim its place in the pantheon of Italy’s picture postcard wine regions.

It’s only within the last few decades that Umbria’s star has risen, thanks to “a group of innovative winemakers [who] have helped restore the region’s reputation by focusing on quality, indigenous grape varieties, and modern wine-making techniques.”[2]  Two of those rare indigenous grapes–the white Grechetto and red Sagrantino–have emerged as the region’s 21st century calling cards.

Above: Photo of Montefalco,, Wikipedia; Map of Umbria, The Guardian, July 2014

We spent three days in Umbria and and can report back that its rising reputation is warranted. With its own charming medieval hill towns, majestic Duomos [Orvieto’s above, left], endless landscapes dotted with olive trees and vineyards, and yes–excellent wine–Umbria is indeed ready for its (media) close-up.

Favorite Wines and Wineries
Using the Palazzo Bontadosi hotel in Montefalco as our base, we visited six wineries situated in the towns of Orvieto, Assisi, and Perugia. We spent hours touring wineries and tasting full portfolios with the owners and winemakers. No tasting was complete without a charcuterie plate, maybe some pasta, and, of course, biscotti. After visiting wineries in France, where Lisa resorted to bringing her own crackers for lack of a single morsel to accompany the wine, Italy was a welcome change!

Of the six wineries we visited, these four were our favorites.
Note: Normally, we would link our wine choices to a shop or e-tailer for purchase. Unfortunately, only the wines from Goretti [listed below] have any distribution in the US.

Tenuta Freddano, Orvieto
18 acres/35,000 bottles/year
Founded 1927
The first tasting of our trip was one of the most memorable. We were greeted by Tenuta Freddano’s owner Chiara Fiorentini, [below, left] who bought the venerable estate in 2019. Ms. Fiorentini’s passion for the wine and its production [certified organic] shone through during our tour and tasting.

Freddano grows mostly native white varietals—Grechetto, Malvasia, Procanico, Vermentino–along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which makes up Freddano’s new Chrysia Rosé. Lisa is the white wine and rosé drinker of the Duo, so she was grinning from the moment we entered the winery to the moment we shipped six bottles home!

What We Bought at Freddano
[You can purchase wines directly from Tenuta Freddano via email at info@freddano.it or on Chiara’s WhatsApp at +39 333 8364754.]

Wine	Grapes	Notes	Price at Winery
Spes Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC 2022	Grechetto Malvasia Procanic	Tropical fruit notes; creamy lemon, some salinity. Perfect with sea food.	We bought 4 bottles €12
Torrale Vermentino Lago di Corbara 2022	Vermentino	Deep yellow, with a honeyed nose. Flavors of grapefruit and lemon peel; hint of cream	We bought 2 bottles €20
Chrysia Rosa 2024 [not yet released]	Merlot	Berry red; white pepper on the nose. Cranberry and blood orange, with a watermelon finish. Good tannic structure.	We shipped 2 bottles at and took an [unlabeled!] bottle back to the hotel! €15
Tufantello Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC Vendemmia Tardiva	Grechetto Malvasia Procanico	Late harvest version of Spes [above]. Medium-bodied; green apple and pear on the nose; refreshing and not too sweet.	400 bottles produced, and we bought 2 of them €12

Tili Vini, Assisi
37 acres/100,000 bottles/year
Founded 1978
Annalaura Tili took us on a fascinating tour of her family’s winery, where her ancestors have worked the land since the 1200’s. Today, Tili Vini is certified organic and grows the native Umbrian varietals Grechetto and Sagrantino, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Cannaiolo, and Merlot. On a gorgeous spring day, sitting on a patio overlooking the vineyards, we tasted eight wines, complemented by cheese, fruit, salad, and biscotti…made extra special with Annalaura’s mamma making all the food from scratch.

What We Bought at Tili Vini

Wine	Grapes	Notes	Price at Winery
Assisi Grechetto 2023	Grechetto	Intense yellow color due to tannins on skin; Green apple on the nose, guava on the palate. “A pleasure to drink”	We bought 2 bottles €27
Assisi Rosato 2024	Sangiovese Cannaiolo	Bright cherry, strawberry rhubarb nose; dry but refreshing. “Sophisticated fruit pop”	We bought 2 bottles €43
Assisi Rosso 2016	Sangiovese Merlot Canaiolo	Big, toasty nose, with vanilla and tobacco. Velvety, and a big taste too. “I need a steak, please”	We bought 2 bottles €48

Cantina Valdangius, Montefalco
17 acres/30,000 bottles/year
Founded 2010
We loved everything about Valdangius…the setting, the tour, the winemaker and the wine. Run by 4th generation siblings Sandra and Danilo Antonelli, this small boutique winery punches above its weight. Consulting winemaker Alessandro Meniconi walked us through the vineyards and the cellar, and poured eight wines for us to sample.

What We Bought at Valdangius

Wine	Grapes	Notes	Price at Winery
Campo de Pico Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC 2024	Trebbiano Spoletino	Light straw; honeysuckle nose; melon and peach flavors; “beautiful, clean finish”	We bought 2 bottles €19
Pippinello Montefalco Rosso DOC 2020	Sangiovese Sagrantino Merlot Cab Sauv	A “bright, smooth crowd pleaser”; vegetal nose; spicy black cherry/currants on the palate	We bought 2 bottles €19
Fortunato Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG 2018	Sagrantino	“Beautiful wine that competes with $50+ Napa Cab Sauv;” Excellent depth, still tannic and needs a little time.	We bought 2 bottles €39

Goretti, Perugia
123 acres/360,000 bottles/year
Founded 1930
The Goretti family purchased land in Perugia in the mid-19th century and opened a winery in 1930, which is now run by the family’s fourth generation. The 14th century tower that anchors the estate was recently restored, and that’s where winemaker Sara Goretti led our nine-wine tasting. The sizable estate includes vineyards in both Montefalco and Perugia, and the portfolio reflects this diversity.

What We Liked
We chose not to purchase any of the wines we loved at the winery as their US distribution is quite robust; we’ll be making our purchases at local wine shops that have a relationship with Goretti’s US distributor.

Wine	Grapes	Notes	Availability
Grechetto DOC Colli Perugini 2024	Grechetto	Crisp, tart, and flavorful; full mouthfeel; very food friendly	$17.99
La Torre IGT Umbria 2023	Sangiovese [90%] Sagrantino	Toasty oak on the nose with hints of vanilla; Good fruit on the palate.	$15.75

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Up Next: We leave the white wine-friendly word of Umbria for the powerful reds of Tuscany.

[1]Wine Searcher

[2] Cellar Tours

[3] Italian Wine Central