24 WINE TOUR
Umbria, Italy
Umbria’s major wine, Orvieto, isn’t as popular
outside Italy as it once was, and most of the other
wines produced here remain internationally
The Mosel’s vines unrecognised. This means there isn’t as much wine
grow on impossibly tourism in the region as you’d expect, which, as
precipitous slopes
I recently discovered while attending a chocolate
festival in the medieval centre of Perugia, is a good
thing for those on a less than bacchanalian budget.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes have
been grown here for centuries, and there’s no lack
of local experience in blending some fabulous local
flavours, which were once celebrated by popes
and royalty. If you’re looking for a wine road less IMAGES
travelled, try the reds produced around Torgiano
GETTYand Montefalco, and the estates of La Carraia and
Lamborghini (especially if you happen to be driving
HARDING,one), where new blends are surfacing. T
The scenery is, of course, stunning, with eyefuls
ROBERMosel, Germany of quintessentially Italian vistas at every turn, and ,
If you like German Riesling, then the four regions irresistible hilltop villages such as Assisi, Spello
ALAMYof Middle and Lower Mosel, Saar and Ruwer along and Montefalco – ideal for lunch and a gentle stroll
the Mosel River are your wine Mecca. The villages through narrow, shaded streets. Stay in postcard-
of Graach, Wehlen and Uerzig, as well as the estates perfect Assisi rather than bustling Perugia; it boasts
of Maximin and Karthäuserhof, are responsible for a fine selection of hotels and restaurants and is far
some of the world’s best Rieslings. The mineral more tranquil and evocative, especially once the
4CORNERSIMAGES.COM,flavour to Mosel wine is attributed to the slate in moped riders have retired for the evening.
the soil, so expect drier, more complex wines than
the sweeter, more mainstream brands. The best Narrow, shaded
Umbrian streetsvineyards (and cellars to visit) are usually the
are perfect tosouthern-facing ones on the tops of the hills.
stroll alongThe river system spreads out in numerous
tributaries which have cut deep into the landscape,
and the vines are grown on impossibly steep tiers.
At an incline of 65 degrees, the village of Bremm’s
Calmont vineyard is the steepest in the world.
Explored from a hotel base in nearby Koblenz, the
landscape is punctuated by dense pockets of forest
and dominated by vertiginous hilltop castles and ruins.
It is worth waiting until harvest season to visit, if only
to witness the heroics of the harvesters themselves
struggling to remain upright on the precipitous slopes.
THESCENERYISSTUNNING,
WITH IRRESISTIBLE
HILLTOP VILLAGES
RAC WORLD
22-25 Wine V2 RAC8.indd 24 20/2/09 21:23:03
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