Umbria is a region in central Italy that is just to the east of Tuscany and is the only landlocked region throughout all of Italy. The town and wine appellation, Orvieto, is located in the southwestern edge of Umbria bordering the region of Lazio. If you’ve never been to Umbria it’s a must. It’s known as the green heart of Italy due to its lush forests and hills. Within these landscapes are black truffle treasures and olive oil groves. Folks always think to flock to Tuscany, but with only about 1/3 of the population of Tuscany you can find much peace among such beauty. 

The Etruscans and Umbri were the first to make wines in Orvieto. The Etruscans built this hilltop town with caves dug out underground through the tufo landscape. If you visit the area you can visit a museum in town and get to experience these underground caves and ancient artifacts. The Duomo located in town is the focal point built in the 14^th century of beautiful tufo and travertine marble. 

Orvieto wines were famous throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance time period. I was shocked to learn that during the 1930’s the wines of Orvieto were even priced higher than those of Barbaresco! Unfortunately the area experienced a 300 year of economic decline. Once the mezzadria was abolished in the 1960s, the area experienced an influx of people from all over Italy that began to buy land and establish wine estates. 

The climate of Orvieto is continental and there are many waterways that influence the area including Lago Corbara and Lago Bolsena on the Lazio side. There is also the 3^rd longest river in Italy, the Tevere, that has many tributaries running off of it including Paglia that run through the area.

The Orvieto DOC

The Orvieto DOC was established in 1971 and regulates the wines of the area are made from only white wines. They are red wines and sparkling wines that exist in Orvieto, but are not allowed to be bottled under the Orvieto DOC. The designated land is mostly within Umbria, but a small piece crosses over into Lazio. Although, the majority of the wine is made in the historic part of Orvieto in the Orvieto Classico area. Two cooperatives dominate the production of the area by 70% with smaller wine estates on the rise.

The primary grapes that make up the white wines of Orvieto are Grechetto di Orvieto, Grechetto di Todi and Procanico. Orvieto DOC wines must contain at least 60% of these grapes. The remaining 40% can include some of the secondary grapes including Verdello, Drupeggio and Malvasia along with international grapes including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino. The Orvieto white wines can vary from dry, off-dry (abboccato), late harvest (amabile and dolce) to muffa nobile known also as noble rot (dolce).