An Undiscovered Gem
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REGIONAL ANALYSIS UMBRIA AN UNDISCOVERED GEM Modern winemaking is unlocking the potential of Sagrantino, writes Michèle Shah. But it remains a hard sell. 3/18 MEININGER’S WBI 3/18 MEININGER’S Montefalco, Umbria, where vines were planted within the city walls. PHOTO: IVAN ABRAMKIN - FOTOLIA.COM IVAN PHOTO: agrantino di Montefalco, Umbria’s style of winemaking. Historic estates such fermentation transforms into a wine that has “blue chip” wine and one of Italy’s as Scacciadiavoli, Antonelli, Adanti, Arnaldo an average of 14 percent or 15 percent ABV. S rediscovered, unique indigenous Caprai and the Terre de’ Trinci co-operative In a good vintage, this powerful wine is aged red grape varieties, is considered a tannic were among the first to put Sagrantino on the for 12 months in oak and up to 37 months monster by some, yet full of character and national map among Italy’s “noble” varieties. altogether, before being released. It can last personality by others. One thing is certain; But it is thanks to the winery Arnaldo Caprai for 30 years or more. Sagrantino is having a hard time making its that Sagrantino went global in the 1990s. Like many indigenous varietals, Sagrantino claim in global markets. The evolution of the dry style of Sagrantino is a temperamental grape characterised Its home is Montefalco, a picturesque owes a lot to the Caprai family, who founded by large pips and a thick skin, the latter hilltop town located south of the Umbrian their winery in 1971. When son Marco Caprai being high in anthocyanins and phenolic Valley. Its strategic position looks out over took over the management in the late 1980s, content. Deep in colour, it has an even higher a range of majestic hills including the he pushed for a dry style of Sagrantino, polyphenolic content than Tannat, one of Martani mountains, Mount Subasio and the helping to create the DOCG rules that were the world’s most tannic grapes. It is a late- Apennines, home to mediaeval towns such implemented in 1992. Today, Arnaldo Caprai ripening varietal that needs to reach perfect as Spoleto, Trevi and Assisi, making it an is one of the largest producers of Sagrantino, phenolic ripeness to tame the astringency, attractive destination for tourism. Montefalco with 136 ha and a production of 900,000 for which good vineyard management is is one of the few Italian towns — home to a bottles. essential. Its ageing capacity is extraordinary, number of churches and monasteries – where Sagrantino Montefalco DOCG is made from keeping a youthful dynamic character. vines were planted inside the city walls, 100 percent Sagrantino. It comprises 750 ha The possibilities it offers created a flurry adding to the allure of this “mystic” and constituting little more than 6.3 percent of of interest around the turn of the century, misunderstood grape. Umbria’s total production. Montefalco Rosso when companies like Famiglia Cecchi moved Sagrantino was mostly made by families DOC, the second most important wine of in during the late 1990s, attracting new for their own use, to be drunk on special the Montefalco region, represents 430 ha, investments to Umbria. Cecchi bought the occasions such as baptisms, weddings constituting 10.4 percent of Umbria’s total Tenuta Alzatura winery, while Cantine Giorgio and other celebratory occasions. Historic production. The Rosso is a blended red made Lungarotti from neighbouring Torgiano also documentation from 1088 suggests the name from between 10 percent to 25 percent of purchased 20 ha of Sagrantino planting rights Sagrantino derives from the Latin “sacer” Sagrantino, plus between 60 percent to 80 in Montefalco. meaning “sacred”, since the grape was percent Sangiovese, while up to 30 percent of Today there are more than 70 estates, cultivated by monks to produce a passito wine other grapes grown in the area can be used. with plantings having grown from 122 ha in used for religious rituals. The historic passito wine today constitute only 2000?? to the current 750 ha. The style has The passito method remained in use until five percent of Sagrantino DOCG production. also changed tremendously in that time, as the mid-1980s as way of managing the harsh On average Sagrantino is a low-yielding, winemakers have better research, vineyard and difficult-to-tame tannins. The big change late-ripening variety — DOCG yields do management and modern technology came in the 1970s and ’80s with the arrival not exceed 8,000kg per hectare and a available to them. Yet these new methods of a new wave of winemakers that pushed more realistic yield for a premium wine is mean there is a lack of homogeneity in for DOCG recognition and for a different 5,000kg — with a high sugar content that both style and pricing which, according to 46 Montefalco D.O. production Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Montefalco DOC 4m 3.9m 3.59m Chiara Lungarotti, owner of Cantine Giorgio 3.5m Lungarotti, does not help either market 3.24m 3m growth nor the understanding of Sagrantino, 2.5m 2.55m especially in export markets. 2.49m Montefalco exports around 60 percent of 2.17m 2m 2.1m its production. “Export prices are extremely 1.67m variable, ranging between €10.00 to €30.00, 1.5m 1.43m WBI 3/18 MEININGER’S from a base wine to a Riserva or a single 1m vineyard. There should be an average 812,407 recognition on pricing, something we need 500,000 to establish among us producers,” says 0 Lungarotti. OF MONTEFALCO. MUNICIPALITY SOURCE: “The end of the 1990s and the beginning 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 of the new millennium showed good growth for Sagrantino within national markets, as part of a trend in Italy to discover new takes years to reach a position of equilibrium Reidemeister & Ulrichs, Caprai’s importers indigenous varieties, while on international between offer and demand within export for the German market, are of the same markets Sagrantino is still having a hard markets,” says Meniconi. “We must look to the opinion that food pairing is important. time in establishing itself other than with future but also be patient for our vineyards to “It’s more a communication challenge. a number of known brands,” says Andrea become fully ‘adult’ vines, capable of showing Sagrantino requires a competent gastronomic Cecchi of Alzatura. “We are sure that, with a the real potential of Sagrantino. All wines of recommendation. We notice that it is quite focused promotion, there is room for growth strong personality need to be understood. Our successful in the high-end gastronomy and in international markets.” slogan is ‘Sagrantino is different… difference particularly interesting for wine connoisseurs, Sagrantino has not delivered the economic is opportunity’.” who like to discover new wines,” says Isabella boom that was expected of it in the 1990s. Scacciadiavoli has been bottling its Güstrau of Reidemeister & Ulrichs. Due to its tannic style, consumers have found Sagrantino in the “secco” version since Peter Heilbron, vice-president of the it difficult to embrace so exports have not 1979. Amilcare Pambuffetti, president of Consorzio of Sagrantino and owner of Tenuta developed as widely as expected. Arnaldo the Consorzio of Sagrantino and owner of Bellafonte, is of the opinion that the future of Caprai winery, which exports some 40 percent Scacciadiavoli winery, maintains Sagrantino Sagrantino lies in convincing customers who of production to more than 40 countries, has has many fans and is not a difficult wine to tasted Sagrantino made some 15 to 20 years recently taken on consultant winemaker understand, nor is its pricing the fundamental ago — a wine that was then characterised as Julien Viaud from Michel Rolland’s team, to issue; it is a wine that shows its best when harsh and tannic — to come back to try the revamp the style to a fruitier and fresher wine paired with food. Volio Imports in the US have wine again. by using less oak. been its importers for more than six years and Sarah Abbott MW, CEO of the Swirl Wine Another winery to have a major impact in reports that 2017 sales have eclipsed 450,000 Group, a UK marketing specialist of Italian the area is Tenute del Cerro group, backed bottles, a 20 percent increase over 2016 sales. wines, believes that Sagrantino is probably by Unipol, one of Europe’s biggest insurance “The category is challenging, as many the most serious Italian red that most people companies. It invested in Montefalco in 1995, American consumers struggle to understand have never heard of. The opportunity, she establishing the 140 ha Còlpetrone estate, one the terroir and tannin that drive Sagrantino’s says, is that in the UK awareness of and of the largest estates in Montefalco, of which flavour profile,” says Charles Lazzara, president demand for age-worthy Italian reds is highly 35 ha are dedicated to Sagrantino. “I am of Volio Imports. “When paired well at a developed, particularly in the on-trade. “The convinced that the development and appeal restaurant, it can be a great confidence builder prices for Barolo and Brunello have created an of Sagrantino as one of Italy’s top red wines for the American consumer venturing away from appreciation for the joys of structured Italian has yet to come,” says CEO Marco Castignani. known international varietals like Cabernet and reds: tannic but succulent, demanding but “Thanks to continuous investments and Merlot in search of a full-bodied wine.” generous, epic but subtle,” she says. research on the variety and its terroir, we Dino Caprotti, president of Vinity Wine “Of course, Sagrantino is not for everyone. are reaching a better understanding of the Company, Scacciadiavoli’s Californian It’s not an easy, fruity wine.