Italy > Umbria > Orvieto > Barberani
Organic
The village of Orvieto, courtesy cellartours.com
Umbria & orvieto
Orvieto, in the Terni province in the southwest corner of Umbria and extending just over the border into Lazio, is just a touch northeast of Rome. Viticulture was established here by the Etruscans and has been famed for its wines for nearly three thousand years. Annexed to Rome in 299 BC, it remained under Roman control for the next eight centuries before falling to Gothic and Lombard armies in the early middle ages, then becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire until the Napoleonic Era and the Unification of Italy in 1861.
Today the region is known for its whites in a range from bone dry (secco) through semisweet (amabile) to dessert-sweet (dolce), made primarily of Trebbiano and Garganega with lesser amounts of Malvasia, Drupeggio, Grechetto and Verdello. Smaller amounts of red wine are also produced under the IGT Umbria designation.
The Orvieto Classico region is a melange of volcanic and limestone soils typical of the turbulent geologic history of much of peninsular Italy. Vines are generally trained high and the canopy is managed to allow sunlight in to ripen the fruit.
The Vallesanta estate
Trebbiano vines in Orvieto
barberani
Lake Corbara was created by the erection of a hydroelectric dam on the upper Tiber in 1959-63. Along with providing hydro power and mitigating flooding in Rome far downstream, the lake acts as a moderating influence on the climate, and has been instrumental in the development of the surrounding viticultural area.
The vineyards were originally established by Vittorio Barberani in 1961 to supply his restaurant businesses in the town of Orvieto. The original property consisted of the Vallesanta vineyard, which was extended and further developed by his son Luigi and his wife Giovanna who added the Monticelli property; and is today managed by their sons Niccolo and Bernardo. Since inception, they’ve been devoted stewards of the land, working it organically and allowing the local climat and terroir to express itself fully through their range of beautiful Orvieto wines.
Their vineyards sit on Eocene marine deposits of clay and fossil-rich limestone, on gentle rolling slopes that drape towards the lake. About half of the estate’s 260 acres is under vine, the remainder is orchards, olive groves, forest and farmland. All is worked organically.
“The balanced ecosystem, thanks also to the fact that I run the entire company in an organic regime, guarantees me excellent healthy grapes. In the Villa Monticelli vineyard surrounded by woods, the only problem is wild boars, not insects. The balance at the level of biodiversity is fundamental, even if the results are not immediate.”
the Wine
Vallesanta Orvieto Classico Secco DOC: The Classico district is the hillside vineyards immediately surrounding the medieval hilltop village of Orvieto. By DOC regulation, Orvieto Classico must be at least 40% Grechetto and at least 20% Procanico. The balance in this wine is made up of Verdello, Malvasia, and Drupeggio.
Vinified and aged in stainless before bottling to preserve freshness and primary aromatics, this bone dry white is crisp, balanced and elegant, with notes of lychee, underripe peach and touches of pear. One of Italy’s great whites and a highly versatile wine.
