text by Marcello Cardillo

The Antonelli San Marco farm estate, at Montefalco (Perugia)

A bottle of Contrario, the still unknown side of sagrantino grape

Sagrantino is the most representative grape variety of Umbria, in the centre of Italy. This variety, with its high content of polyphenols, is ideal for full-bodied wines, which age well. But Filippo Antonelli, one of the most important wine producers in Montefalco (Perugia), has recently released the“Contrario” Igt of Umbria, (Igt stands for Typical Geographic Indication), made of pure sagrantino grapes. Unlike its “elder brother”, aged 4 years, the new Contrario is a 2-year-old Sagrantino, a less demanding table wine. The Docg Sagrantino di Montefalco (Docg is a legally defined designation standing for Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) is a red wine, originally known as a strong sweet “passito“, only recently established in the dry variant.

Vintner Filippo Antonelli owns a 170-hectare farm estate, Antonelli San Marco. His style, as winemaker, is characterized by balance, elegance and delicate aging in wood. His wines, especially the Sagrantino di Montefalco, require a long refining period after bottling, with interesting evolutions in the maturing time.

Sagrantino producer Filippo Antonelli

Among the historical products of his winery, we can mention the Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito, exclusively from sagrantino grapes, carefully handpicked and selected in the vineyard. Each plant yields only 1,4 kg fresh grapes, while the total yielding is of about 20 hl per hectare. Grape harvest usually takes place in the second half of October. Grapes are then naturally dried on straw mats for 75 / 90 days, while the fermentation in contact with the skins lasts 8 days at a controlled temperature of 25°. The wine is then refined in Slavonian oak barrels of 10 hl for 15 months, while the final refining in bottles lasts one year. Ruby red with garnet tints, this Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito is delicate and full-bodied, with a soft fruity sensibility, an aroma of blackberry, blackcurrant and raspberry preserve and a persistent flavor of red fruit. The Sagrantino di Montefalco cru is the “Chiusa di Pannone”, from grapes harvested in the Chiusa di Pannone vineyard, 2,70 hectares on airy, well exposed hills, m. 400 above sea level, yielding 1 kg fresh grapes per plant. Info www.antonellisamarco.it