Have Wine. Will Travel. Umbrian Wines on a Summer Road Trip #ItalianFWT

This month the Italian Food Wine Travel writers are looking at the wines from Umbria. You can read Gwendolyn's invitation here.

Have wine. Will travel.

Late last month, we went to Montana for our niece's wedding. Jake, R, and I drove; but since D is in summer school, he flew into Kalispell after midnight on Friday and flew out less than thirty hours later. Those of us that traveled by car drove about thirty hours over the course of five days with two extended stops to visit friends and family. The great part of driving, instead of flying: I was able to bring along several wines. I selected some of our favorites from California's central coast; I also packed some wines from Umbria to share.

Three Manns in the Avenue of the Giants, Redwoods National Park, California

The Green Heart of Italy

Umbria is bordered by Tuscany to the west, Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. Partly hilly and partly flat, and fertile owing to the valley of the Tiber, its topography includes part of the central Apennines. Completely landlocked, it is the only Italian region having neither a coastline nor a common border with other countries.

Poet Giosuè Carducci writes about Umbria, il cuore verde d'Italia, 'the green heart of Italy.'

Oscure intanto fumano le nubi

su l'Apennino: grande, austera, verde

da le montagne digradanti in cerchio

l'Umbria guarda.

The Umbrian Line-Up

• A Culinary Visit to Umbria before my Physical Visit to Umbria by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Discovering Spectacular Wines in the Green Heart of Italy - Montefalco in Umbria by Avvinare

• Family Dinner and Montefalco Rosso by Our Good Life

• Have Wine. Will Travel. Umbrian Wines on a Summer Road Trip by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Versatile Trebbiano Spoletino; a New Star from Umbria by Food Wine Click!

Last year I shared An Umbrian Grape with Greek Origins: Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Fiordalis + Pesce alla Ghiotta. And I have explored other wines from the region. There will likely be some other articles and I will link to them all as they go live. Stay tuned!

Arnaldo Caprai Grecante Grechetto 2022

Just before we hit the road, I made a riff on a Salade Niçoise and paired it with the 2022 Arnaldo Caprai Grecante Grechetto. The vinaigrette for my salad can be found in this post: The Polarizing Anchovy + Egg Salad Niçoise.

Arnaldo Caprai’s Grecante is a single varietal made with 100% Grechetto grapes soured from the vineyards that lie on the alluvial plain at the base of the Montefalco hills, within the Colli Martani DOC. The soil is comprised of clay and limestone which offers a nice balance of moisture retention and drainage and lends a mineral complexity to the resulting wines.

The wine was aged three months in stainless steel followed by three months in the bottle. The wine poured a warm straw color. On the nose there were intense fruit aromas of pineapple and peach as well as the perfume of freesias. On the palate the wine was full and fresh with a long finish.

Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso 2022

When we pulled into our friend's home in Port Ludlow, Washington, he had homemade pizza warming in the oven. I uncorked a bottle of the 2022 Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso to pair. Montefalco wines - Rosso and Bianco are wines made in Umbria and were awarded their Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status in 1979.

The Scacciadiavoli winery began in 1884 when Ugo Boncompani Ludovisi, prince of Piombino, founded a French-style winery in Umbria. They were the first to produce the forerunner to Montefalco Rosso as a blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino as early as 1892.

This bottle is 60% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, and 15% Sagratino. It is aged in barriques and large tanks made from French oak for 12 months.

The wine poured an inky purple with a red rim. On the nose there were aromas of cherries as well as herbs and dried wildflowers. On the palate the wine had a bracing tartness that made it a wonderful match to the doughy pizza topped with ripe tomatoes and abundant herbs. I could see this pairing well with any meat or mushroom dishes.

We spent two full days with our friends in the center of the Puget Sound. We learned about glacial erratics (errant boulders), how to clam, and ventured into the Olympic National Forest to hike out from Obstruction Point. We had so much fun and it was a joy to spend time to Mr. Spedding who was R's 5th grade teacher!

R and Jake on the Grand Lake trail heading away from Obstruction Point, Olympic National Forest,Washington

Marchesi Antinori Castello della Sala Conte Della Vipera 2023

On the evening we pulled into the Airbnb in Kalispell, after nearly twelve hours on the road, I uncorked the 2023 Marchesi Antinori Castello della Sala Conte Della Vipera. My mother-in-law made some quesadillas while I tossed a salad, cut watermelon, and washed some cherries. It was a simple dinner with a stunning wine.

The Antinori family has been committed to the art of winemaking for over six hundred years when, in 1385 Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri, the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild. The estate from which the wine comes is Castello della Sala, located in Umbria not too far from the Tuscan border. The 420 acres are located over 600 feet above sea level and planted with traditional varieties such as Procanico and Grechetto but also with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sèmillon, Pinot Blanc, Viognier and a small quantity of Traminer and Riesling.

Today, Albiera Antinori heads up Marchesi Antinori with the support of her two sisters, Allegra and Alessia. Their father, Marchese Piero Antinori, is the honorary president of the company.

Conte della Vipera 2023 poured a pale straw yellow with flecks of bright green hues. On the nose, there was an alluring blend of aromas of bergamot, lychee, and elderflowers. On the palate, there were layers that mirrored the aromas along with hints of lime and pineapple with a mineral finish. What a great white wine!

Colpetrone Memoira Sagrantino di Montefalco 2015

Also in Kalispell, while some of the crew were at the rehearsal dinner for the wedding, I stayed at the Airbnb and grilled an array of vegetables and chicken thighs for the rest of us. I did not manage to take a close-up photo of the Colpetrone Memoira Sagrantino di Montefalco 2015 bottle. Darn it! But I do have a photo from when I poured a 2011 bottle a few years back.

Sagrantino is a grape unique to Umbria. In fact, in Umbria, the Sagrantino grape is required by DOCG standards to be aged for at least 37 months in bottle before release. Còlpetrone winery is part of Tenute del Cerro SpA, the Wine Company of Gruppo Unipol. The designation of a DOCG appellation for Sagrantino di Montefalco cemented the standing of both the Sagrantino varietal and Còlpetrone. Today, the estate consists of 155 acres of vineyards which produce approximately 200,000 bottles annually, including Rosso di Montefalco, Sagrantino di Montefalco, Gold Sagrantino di Montefalco and Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito.

This single varietal pours a brilliant, intense garnet red. On the nose there are aromas of red and black fruits with hints of vanilla and chocolate. But it was the anise, cloves, and dried wildflowers that made this a great match with the grilled foods.

Our Final Destination: The Bravard Wedding

My duo - all dressed up - at the Bravard wedding, Triple B Ranch, Columbia Falls, Montana

Ariah with her brother, Ariel, by her side; first kiss as husband and wife; and with her mom, my stunning sister-in-law Beth

It was such a thrill to see our niece Ariah marry her guy! It was not such a thrill to leave the house just after 4am to make our 5:30am flight on Sunday morning. But we did it and I wouldn't change a thing.

That's a wrap for my offering to the Umbrian wines event. I will be hosting the wine writers next month as we share memories of summer travels through sips and nibbles. Stay tuned!