Umbria wine country
A land of rolling hills covered with olive trees, woodland and vines, the Umbria region of central Italy is quite appropriately known as Italy’s green heart. Bordering with the Marche region to the east, Lazio to the south west and Tuscany to the west, it’s the nation’s true core and has always been a fundamental player in the Italian wine scene as well as contributing some of the tastiest olive oil.
In contrast with Tuscany’s noble roots, Umbria has a spiritual quality that brings a sense of peace and authenticity thanks to the genuine values that are still upheld today. Medieval monasteries abound – both the Benedictines and the Franciscan orders were founded in the region – St Francis of Assisi was Umbrian and numerous events are being held in 2026 for his 800th anniversary. Assisi is just one of the region’s incredible series of cities of art; others include such gems as Orvieto, Perugia, Gubbio, Todi and Spoleto. Umbria has nearly 13,000ha (32,000 acres) under vine, mostly concentrated around the central and western parts of the region with less towards the more mountainous areas of the east. There’s an astonishing range of wine styles and while just over half of Umbria’s wines are red, and often powerful, from varieties such as the celebrated local Sagrantino as well as Sangiovese, Italy’s most planted grape, there are also some excellent whites, most notably Orvieto DOC from the volcanic land around the stunning city, and the complex and versatile Trebbiano Spoletino which is rapidly growing in popularity. The region has two DOCG wines, both red: Montefalco Sagrantino and Torgiano Riserva, made with at least 70% Sangiovese.
Umbria – areas and wines
Montefalco and Sagrantino
Central to the production area of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, the village of Montefalco itself has a charming historic centre built in golden stone. The Sagrantino grape is considered the world’s most tannic, due to its high polyphenolic content which is also behind its intense inky colour and while the dry versions of Sagrantino are undoubtedly powerful, today’s versions especially are also extremely elegant. Stories behind the name of the grape are linked to the word sacred – in the past, when Sagrantino was used for almost exclusively sweet passito wines, it was also used as a mass wine in church. The village of Montefalco itself, once called Coccorone, was renamed by Holy Roman Emperor Federico II in the mid-13th century. He was passionate about falconry and during a visit was so impressed by the many falcons in the area that he decided to dedicate the village to them. While Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG is 100% Sagrantino grapes, the area’s other red, Montefalco Rosso, is a blend of largely Sangiovese with some (10-25%) Sagrantino that’s ideal with the tasty local dishes.
Spoleto and Trebbiano Spoletino
Just south eat of Montefalco, Spoleto is a stunning city of art with a rich history and monuments that include a splendid Romanesque cathedral, a majestic medieval fortress and an ancient Roman theatre that’s still used for events. The town is known worldwide for its Festival dei Due Mondi with international stars of opera, music, theatre, dance and art performing at locations throughout the historic centre. Just south of Spoleto is Italy’s most celebrated and spectacular waterfall, Cascata delle Marmore, built in ancient Roman times to reclaim marshy land around the River Nera. Spoleto’s flagship grape, the intense white Trebbiano Spoletino is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. Recent updates in the regulations include the introduction of a Riserva category and the option of maceration. Work is underway to extend the Spoleto DOC area to coincide with the Montefalco denomination area; currently the two areas overlap and the Montefalco DOC Bianco is anyway made with Trebbiano Spoletino grapes.
Orvieto and Orvieto DOC
Orvieto cathedral is one of the Umbria region’s star sights. Begun in 1290, it took several centuries to complete and its intricate facade decorated with sculptures and mosaics and interior frescoes are simply stunning. The city, which was an important centre already in the Etruscan era before the Romans took over in 264BC, stands on a rocky outcrop of tufa stone. Spacious underground chambers, wine cellars and tunnels carved into the stone have been used since ancient times and Orvieto Underground runs some fascinating tours to explore them. Orvieto DOC is one of the region’s most historic and significant denominations for some of Italy’s best known white wines. The production area is large, overlapping into the Lazio region, in an area made up largely of volcanic soils leading to mineral-infused wines with a vibrant acidity. While regulations allow for at least 60% between Procanico (also known as Trebbiano Toscano) and Grechetto, more producers nowadays are opting to concentrate on Grechetto grapes. While not specified in the regulations, local producers like to make it clear which Grechetto clone they grow: G5, the most common, previously known as Grechetto di Todi and now officially Grechetto Gentile, and G109, once called Grechetto di Orvieto. While the former has a more aromatic profile, the latter is rather more complex in structure.
Perugia and Torgiano
As Umbria’s main city, the attractive stone centre of Perugia is a must-see for visitors to Umbria and while most buildings are medieval, the layout dates from Etruscan times. The central Piazza dei Priori hosts both Palazzo dei Priori and the intricate Fontana Maggiore, a beautiful fountain sculpted by Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni in tiered cycles – one panel has the grape harvest (used on the label for Lungarotti’s top, most historic wine, Rubesco) and another depicts barrel-making. Even if you don’t arrive in Perugia by car, it’s worth taking the escalators that link the Piazza Partigiani car park to the centre above as they pass through the atmospheric structure of the Rocca Paolina fortress. The city hosts the high-profile Umbria Jazz festival each summer. Just 10km south of Perugia, the village Torgiano, which has a fresher microclimate, is home to the region’s first DOCG certified wine, Sangiovese-based Torgiano Riserva. The admirable Lungarotti family winery more or less dominates here, whilst being far from overbearing, with a charming Enoteca and Osteria as well as one of Italy’s most fascinating wine museums.
Lake Trasimeno and Gamay del Trasimeno
Just west of Perugia, in the north western corner of the Umbria region and close to the border with Tuscany, Lake Trasimeno makes a refreshing contrast from the region’s major cities of art, offering watersports and lakeside strolls; a 58km cycle path circles the lake and best of all it also has an interesting and growing wine culture. Castiglione del Lago is the lake’s main centre where things to see include the stately Palazzo della Corgna which has an unusually long and scenic stone walkway to a lookout tower over the lake from where the views are memorable. The lake area’s small farming estates make some excellent olive oil and in recent years their traditional fresh and fragrant red Gamay del Trasimeno wines have been receiving ever greater recognition. Curiously, Gamay del Trasimeno is actually a Grenache clone and no relation to the French Gamay of Beaujolais.
Umbria’s favourite foods
Umbria is widely recognised as having one of Italy’s most genuine and tasty cooking cultures. Simple and authentic ingredients including lentils and other pulses, exquisite truffle and hand-made pasta in satisfying shapes such as long, square-profiled strangozzi. The pork products are memorable – Norcia in the south east of the region even gave its name to the Italian tradition of cold cuts, known as norcineria. – and there’s delicious lamb, lake fish and some of Italy’s best olive oil. Everything is exceptionally tasty and each speciality finds its perfect partner in one or more of the region’s many and diverse wines.
