Niccone Valley Wine Tasting

I used to run wine tasting events at the winery I Girasoli di Sant’Andrea in the Niccone Valley close to where most of our villas are located. I trained as a sommelier with the Association of Italian Sommeliers (AIS) and, consequently, I have a good knowledge of Italian wine.

I Girasoli di Sant’Andrea

Pilar, a member of the Gritti family who run I Girasoli di Sant’Andrea now offers guided wine tasting at the cellar and, should you wish to eat afterwards, you can eat at the restaurant above, the highly regarded Ristorante Simone Corsetti

The winery has a range of natural wines undertaken by Pilar and her brother, Andrea as well as wines made in the conventional way. If you would like to taste these delicious and very local wines, I can put you in touch with Pilar when you book your villa, otherwise use the link above.

Other Local Wineries

Other local wineries include Vineria del Carmine, Blasi and Poggio Maiale, all in Umbria. There are lots of wineries around Lake Trasimeno, a quick search will throw up some to try. From personal experience I like the wines from Pucciarella, Lamborghini, Poggio Bertaio and Morami.

Famous Wine Making Areas Within Easy Reach Of The Niccone Valley:

Montefalco

Montefalco This is Umbria’s most famous wine region centred on the town of Montefalco. The reds are produced using the tannic local grape Sagrantino suited for long ageing. If you prefer your red a little lighter, go for Montefalco Rosso which is 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and the other 15% can be made with a wide variety of grapes. I have always found Montefalco Rosso to be extremely good value for money. There are also many excellent whites made with the local grape, Grechetto or the increasing popular Trebbiano Spoletino.

Montefalco is south of Perugia and also includes the towns of Bevagna, Bastardo, Gualdo Cattaneo and Castel Ritaldi,  Some of my favourite vineyards include Di Fillipo, Fongoli, Dionigi, Antonelli, Rocca di Fabbri and Pardi. A quick search will highlight other recommendations, in my experience, there aren’t many bad wines from this region.

Wine Tasting In The Niccone Valley

Wine Tasting In The Niccone Valley

Montepulciano

Montepulciano is famous for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. This is a wine made mainly with the Sangiovese  grape and aged in wood. Montepulciano is a pleasant hill town, to the west, you’ll come across the classic Tuscan landscape of the Val D’Orcia.

Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico You can easily to get to the southern part of Chianti Classico from the superstrada  that runs between Perugia and Siena . If you try to go deep into the Chianti Classico region, be prepared for a long day in the car, the roads are slow and winding but, of course, the scenery and wine are magnificent!

Montalcino

Montalcino. A longer drive to get here but you may feel it’s worth it to try this most prized of Sangiovese wines, Brunello di Montalcino.

Orvieto

Orvieto Famous for the white wine Orvieto Classico, the town (in southern Umbria) is definitely worth visiting too

Lake Trasimeno

Lake Trasimeno You’ll find a lot of very good, relatively unknown (and hence generally good value) wines growing around Lake Trasimeno. The Trasimeno DOC is quite flexible so there are varied styles of wines on offer. Sangiovese is the dominant red grape, you may come across another red grape variety called Gamay di Trasimeno (confusingly, it’s actually Grenache).

Wine tasting in Montefalco, Umbria

Wine tasting in Montefalco, Umbria