Umbria Wine Tours
Our Umbria wine tours are always based on the warmth of welcome from local winemakers and owner families. We know they are very happy that we are coming to them with guests, not just because of the cash generated by the visit but moreover because they are providing a memorable experience that will stay with our guests forever. We generally don’t go to what are considered more famous Umbrian wineries, which are more polished and corporate, because we feel the visit is very impersonal and sterile.
We tend to go to the lesser-known wineries, you could call them ‘hidden gems’ and although this is such a jaded term nowadays, that is what they are! Most visitors to Italy in general and Umbria, in particular, would not be able to find these places on their own and most would probably hesitate to enter, not knowing if they would be able to communicate with them or not. The area around Montefalco is blessed with a plethora of young, extremely talented winemakers. Some have taken over from the generations before them, but there are a few who have started relatively recently from scratch, with some spectacular results!
Examples of our Winery Visits
The generosity of the places we visit is something we can always rely on. We know that they will present their best wines, sometimes offer little extras that just make the experience that little bit more memorable. We might enjoy an exclusive barrel tasting, involvement in harvest, selection or blending (depending on when you visit) or the chance to try a little 30-year-old balsamic vinegar that takes about a minute to pour out of the bottle! Nearly all the places we visit also produce their own extra virgin olive oil and when it’s available, this too is bought by the caseload by our guests as it’s irresistible! All of the winemakers we work with are rightly proud of the wines they make and absolutely love to show them off.
Below is a small sample of the places we visit on our Umbria wine tours to get your juices flowing:
This is one of the first places our local operators ever visited, and one of our favourites. This family-owned farm was at first functioning as the source for their divine single estate olive oils, but back at the start they also grew grapes to sell to other wineries. Founded in 1978 by Devis Romanelli’s father and paternal grandfather Amadeo Devis, it was decided in 2003 to replant vines and focus on wine production. Devis hence decided that it was time and in 2007 produced his first vintage and has not looked back since. He has enjoyed an explosion onto the Umbria wine scene and instantly produced award-winning wines.
A few photos of the Romanelli winery in Montefalco in Umbria
You could be warmly greeted by up to four generations of the Romanelli family at their stunningly positioned home overlooking the valley towards Spello and Assisi. This winery is concentrating on organic viticulture and places great value on increasing the biodiversity in its vineyards. For example, in 2008 bird boxes were erected to provide nesting sites for rare local birds, and especially those who feed on insect pests that damage the vines and grapes. The entry holes were sized to keep away those types of birds who eat or damage grapes. The kestrel, tawny owl, great tit, and redstarts are birds encouraged to nest and thus reduce disease pressure. Native cover crops are left to grow between rows, again with positive results for viticulture.
Angelo Fongoli is a very talented, certified organic winemaker and recently he started moving more and more towards using biodynamic methods. These days a visit to the cantina barrel rooms will show off the large terracotta amphorae used for his award-winning Fracanton, a naturally fermented DOCG Sagrantino, the flagship grape in the Montefalco region that is the star of the show locally. Fongoli has been, and still is, a multi-generation family-run winery since 1925.
A sleeping puppy is optional – great wine is not, it is guaranteed!
You will love the farm-style winery, surrounded by their own olive trees, the horses, the goats, the cats! This particular winery also has a really interesting collection of their old farming and winemaking equipment and tools on display alongside their historic wines, going back through the generations.
Fattoria Colleallodole Milziade Antano
If ever you wanted to head to an Italian ‘garage’ winery or boutique winery, this is the real deal, the barrel room is directly under the winemaker’s house, in the garage! He has since built a beautiful tasting room where we can take bigger groups or, for ourselves, much-anticipated wine events which are always amazing fun. Francesco Antano, the winemaker, makes some superb wines and his top Sagrantino, ‘Colleallodole’ is very popular indeed.
This winery was founded in the 1960s and the name Colleallodole is inspired by the larks who cross this wine region during their annual autumn migration. The family own 20 hectares of vines in an area that enjoys a long history of wine and olive oil production. The estate vines are located in hills that roll between Bevagna and Montefalco, an area that is blessed with a mild, windy climate ensuring healthy vines with both morning and afternoon sun ensuring the ripeness and complexity you will be enjoying here.
Cantina Dionigi is one of the bigger wineries we visit, but it is still very much a family-run and owned winery and is one of the oldest wineries of the area having been established in 1896. Roberto Dionigi creates one of the most incredible ranges of wines we know. From a cryo-macerated white wine to the amazing straw wine of Moscato with big bold reds in between. You can enjoy a huge range of tasting here from 14 different wines plus grappa and, of course, their wonderful single estate olive oil. This is a winery we choose again and again for our clients; the wines, the welcome, the views (the fabulous views!) and the effortless generosity of the whole family.
You can see from the descriptions above that there are many great options for your Umbria wine tours, plus we can blend in many gastronomic, cultural and historical visits, according to your time available of course. Maybe you would like to enjoy a combo with other wine regions in Italy? Just let us know how long you have open to you and your interests and we will design the perfect private wine tours for you.
