Umbria, Region of the Week
Written By: Brian Freedman on Mon, Jul 9th 2007
July 09, 2007
This region, which neighbors the far more famous - and respected - Tuscany to its west, is an excellent example of the old maxim that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Or a grape by its skin. Or whatever the line is. Sure, its yearly production is dwarfed by Tuscany's, and all but the most ardent wine geeks would have a hard time naming more than three wines produced in this central Italian wine region. But seeking these wines out is worth the effort. The white wines from Orvieto, based on the trebbiano grape variety (with other varieties thrown into the blend, including verdello, malvasia, and others), may be a bit difficult to find, but well worth the effort, especially in this chardonnay-soaked world we live in these days. And the reds, which are often based on sangiovese, while perhaps not as profound as some of their Tuscan counterparts, nonetheless represent fine value. Falesco, which makes the rosato above, is one of the most consistently affordable and reliable producers in Umbria. And, happily, their wines are relatively easy to find.
