TheUmbria, our region, is among the most evocative and unspoiled in Italy. We are the only region of the peninsular part not bathed by the sea and our territory is mainly hilly.
We Umbrians often complain about this distance even though the Umbrian hills, in addition to enchanting us and all travelers, create all the conditions for an excellent cultivation of the vine.
In fact, our wind rose indicates a continuous rise and fall of hills and slopes, characterized by the orderly array of vineyards and olive groves, dominated by our citadels and medieval villages rich in local specialties, poetry and food and wine traditions.
And modestly, wine is one of the pillars of our food and wine culture, which has its roots in the most genuine peasant and rural traditions.
The wine history of Umbria begins 3000 years ago with the Etruscans, the mysterious people who had settled in the western part of our region.
The prestige of Umbrian wines was also very high during the subsequent Roman era. Even great poets of classicism such as Pliny the Elder and Martial praised the qualities of Umbrian wine in their compositions.
Towards the end of the 1400s, Umbrian wine was highly appreciated, especially by great artists, who had the custom of asking what part of the fee for their works was to be given in wine. And so did the famous Perugian painter too Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, and the great Pietro Vannucci, said Perugino.
Unfortunately, even the best Umbrian excellences have discounted the marginality that our region has had in the cultural and economic events of the last centuries.
Our vineyards, a fundamental resource for the regional economy, have been subjected to considerable pressure, with the aim of maximizing wine production even at the expense of quality.
Even the fame of the Trebbiano Spoletino, native Umbrian vine, was obscured by the needs of producers until the disappearance of the variety. In fact, given the adaptability of Trebbiano to any type of soil, this vine has easily spread throughout central Italy. The vine has taken on typical characteristics in each area that have given rise to real varieties of Trebbiano. The high productivity of Trebbiano has made it a wine loved by the vast majority of growers, who have even renamed it "chase away debts".
At the beginning of the 1960s we witnessed a revival of oenology and viticulture in Umbria. As producers, we have finally started to abandon mass production in favor of the culture of quality.
And perhaps today, it is precisely the term quality that best distinguishes Umbria, a land of great vines and wines that remain in the heart.
The authors
TheUmbria, our region, is among the most evocative and unspoiled in Italy. We are the only region of the peninsular part not bathed by the sea and our territory is mainly hilly.
We Umbrians often complain about this distance even though the Umbrian hills, in addition to enchanting us and all travelers, create all the conditions for an excellent cultivation of the vine.
In fact, our wind rose indicates a continuous rise and fall of hills and slopes, characterized by the orderly array of vineyards and olive groves, dominated by our citadels and medieval villages rich in local specialties, poetry and food and wine traditions.
And modestly, wine is one of the pillars of our food and wine culture, which has its roots in the most genuine peasant and rural traditions.
The wine history of Umbria begins 3000 years ago with the Etruscans, the mysterious people who had settled in the western part of our region.
The prestige of Umbrian wines was also very high during the subsequent Roman era. Even great poets of classicism such as Pliny the Elder and Martial praised the qualities of Umbrian wine in their compositions.
Towards the end of the 1400s, Umbrian wine was highly appreciated, especially by great artists, who had the custom of asking what part of the fee for their works was to be given in wine. And so did the famous Perugian painter too Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, and the great Pietro Vannucci, said Perugino.
Unfortunately, even the best Umbrian excellences have discounted the marginality that our region has had in the cultural and economic events of the last centuries.
Our vineyards, a fundamental resource for the regional economy, have been subjected to considerable pressure, with the aim of maximizing wine production even at the expense of quality.
Even the fame of the Trebbiano Spoletino, native Umbrian vine, was obscured by the needs of producers until the disappearance of the variety. In fact, given the adaptability of Trebbiano to any type of soil, this vine has easily spread throughout central Italy. The vine has taken on typical characteristics in each area that have given rise to real varieties of Trebbiano. The high productivity of Trebbiano has made it a wine loved by the vast majority of growers, who have even renamed it "chase away debts".
At the beginning of the 1960s we witnessed a revival of oenology and viticulture in Umbria. As producers, we have finally started to abandon mass production in favor of the culture of quality.
And perhaps today, it is precisely the term quality that best distinguishes Umbria, a land of great vines and wines that remain in the heart.
The authors
