Hunting the Rare Sagrantino

Umbria as it turns out is not to be “taken” so easily. In fact, I couldn’t help wishing I’d spent a tad more time on the treadmill in preparation for the arduous climbs required to traverse each of these fortified Italian hill towns.

We spent our first day navigating Perugia’s Centro Storico—a labyrinth of winding streets, stairways, and ancient archways all coming together at the most improbable angles that give one the feeling of walking through an M.C. Escher drawing.

By our second day and with the jetlag subsiding, I plunged headlong into my wine research at a little gem of a shop that came highly recommended by Montclair native and former co-worker, John Ludas, who had joined my son in Perugia a couple of months ago.

Enoteca Arco Estrusco (www.enotecaarcoetrusco.com) is a short walk from the ancient Etruscan Arch on Via Ulisse Rocchi. The proprietors, Irene and Giuseppe, are transplants from Rome who, looking for a lifestyle change, moved to this smaller and more affordable city. They were eager to open bottles for a willing audience and I had a particular interest in exploring the red wines made from the local sagrantino grape.

According to the book “Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy” by Joseph Bastiniach and David Lynch, there are only about 400 acres of sagrantino vines in all of Umbria, which is the reason these wines are not widely known outside of the region. But they can be found and they are worth the hunt.

Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, made with 100 percent sagrantino, is tannic and dense with incredible aging potential. We sampled wines from traditional producers, who age their wines in large casks known as botti, as well as from modern-style producers, who use small barriques that yield a softer, more approachable style. There is also a sweet version of this sagrantino wine known as “passito.”

Montefalco Rosso DOC is a blend of sangiovese (60 to 70 percent), sagrantino (minimum 10 percent), and other grapes. These wines are not as brambly and tarry as those made solely from sagrantino, but they are still hearty enough to pair with a meal of wild boar stew.

Irene and Giuseppe seemed in no hurry for us to make a purchase but it had been two long hours since our last meal and with hunger pangs fast approaching, we settled on three bottles in a range of styles: Giuliano Ruggeri Montefalco Rosso 2006, Fattoria Milziade Montefalco Rosso 2005, and Casale Triocco Sagrantino di Montefalco 2003. All three were the perfect accompaniment for our pre-dinner snack of cured meats, cheeses, and marinated olives.

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Tags: Italy | wine | Rome | Umbria

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