Umbria

The only landlocked region away from those in the Alps, Umbria is also one of the smallest in both area and population. The climate is similar to neighbouring Tuscany with hot and dry summers and cold winters and whilst the Apennines tower to the east, the vineyards are mostly located on rolling hillsides around the Tiber Valley between 150-600m altitude. There are an unnecessary 13 DOCs, most of which have very similar rules involving Sangiovese with international varieties for reds and the bland Trebbiano Toscana with Grechetto or Chardonnay for whites. Umbria would be better served with a catch all DOC for these. Umbria does have, in Sagrantino, its own speciality. A grape of prodigious extract with powerful flavours and bucket loads of tannin, when well-handled and aged, it can produce wines of real majesty. The key sub-regions are Montefalco DOC, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, and Oriveto DOC, which it partly in Lazio.