Umbrian Wine Comes to NYC
Wonderful lunch today at Il Gattopardo in New York featuring the wines from Umbria – red, white, and sweet wines from four winemaking regions: Montefalco, Orvieto, Torgiano, and Trasimeno
Serving and speaking about their wines and their regions were winemaker/owners Giulia Di Cosimo of Argillae and Giampaolo Tabarrini of Tabarrini Winery.
Umbrian Wine Lunch
The Italian Peninsula’s only landlocked region, Umbria, has a long history of making wine. But is often overshadowed by its more popular neighbor to the West, Tuscany.
With over 30,000 acres under vine, Umbria makes wine from grapes that include many familiar varieties like Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Vermentino and Trebbiano (including Trebbiano Spoletino which is grown only in Umbria)/
This region also grows less familiar grapes, like the white grape Grechetto and Montefalco’s native red grape, Sagrantino. Argillae Winery
Lorenzo Landi is the winemaker at Argillae. This winery spans the area in the hills between Allerona and Ficulle, north-west of Orvieto. It is an area of approximately 120 hectares which wind along the route of the Autostrada del Sole.
The territory comprises the presence of clayey-sandy soils characterized by “gullies”, large and deep cracks in the soil resulting from erosion created by atmospheric agents about 2 million years ago.
Visit the area and you find many fossil finds (shells, molluscs…etc), dating back to the Pliocene era in which the waters occupied the entire area up to the point of touching Città della Pieve.
You can see the wines Argillae Winery produces by clicking this link
Tabarrini Winery
Giampaolo Tabarrini may be the “coolest” winemaker I’ve met—and the most enigmatic.His upbeat, playful spirit can’t quite hide the passionate and innovative winemaker behind his jovial facade.
Mr. Tabarrini is a champion of Umbria and the Montefalco region specifically. He serves as president and is active in all areas of Umbrian wine.
Giampaolo is not just a winemaker; he is a crusader on a mission to propel Umbria’s native grapes to the lofty heights they deserve
Giampaolo Tabarrini: Early History
From a young age, Giampaolo was in tune with the rhythms of vineyard life, learning the craft from his grandfather, who established the winery.
This early exposure gave him an acute understanding of the land and a deep connection to the historical and cultural traditions of Montefalco.
Giampaolo successfully straddled the delicate tightrope between respecting the past and embracing the future, resulting in a revolutionary approach to winemaking that has catapulted Tabarrini to the global stage.
Final Thoughts
Umbrian wines offer a great value for the price, with the white being as remarkable as the varied reds. Try (and buy) these wines next time you visit a wine shop.
