Umbrian wine tasting

We are approaching the month of Italy’s biggest wine event, the famous Vinitaly. As you might have guessed, year-round there are lots of smaller events held throughout Italy. Last Saturday for instance we visited Vinix in Perugia.

Because of the usual ‘search and try to find something in the heart of Perugia’ game, we arrived fashionably late to be greeted by a well dressed suave crowd. 8 winemakers in all, 2 of the natural type.
Great fun, nice and lots of interesting people some of who were well trained in balancing body and full glass on 15 cm stilleto heels.

Great wines from the famous Paolo Bea who makes some of Umbria’s finest wines. Also present the amiable Vittorio Mattioli ‘agricoltore e poi vignaiolo in Terzo la Pieve’ who makes interesting wines from Trebbiano Spoletino at his small Collecapretta winery.  No added yeasts or chemical additives. Very rare in Umbria is his white wine, Terra dei Preti,  which rests on the lees and skin for quite some time, giving a well perfumed wine which smells of small fruits, peaches and spices. Nice! I’ll bet more wineries will follow him on this one.

We ended up talking to Marco Francioli, the marketeer for Antonelli wines located in the Montefalco area. He urged us to join him, some vistors and other winemakers to have dinner at Wine Bartolo a place we frequent quite often. Any protests about not having made a reservation were briskly swept aside the Italian way, ‘Certo c’e posto per due’ So of to Bartolo it was for dinner the Italian way. Which means nice people, discussion/discourse, loads of good food and never stop talking about it. Some extra Olio on your pasta? Yes! In the end everyone vowed not to eat or drink anything the next day. Poor Marco had a big meat dinner the sunday evening.  But he is a professional I’m sure he coped.

A lovely wine tasting event in Perugia. We are looking forward to more such afternoons/evenings in this area!