During our recent trip to Italy my wife, Kristi and I had the good fortune to visit Azienda Agricola Barberani near Baschi in Umbria. Baschi lies between Orvieto to the North West and Todi to the East along Strada Provinciale 93. Baschi and the Barbarani vineyards are located in the southern most part of the Orvieto Classico production zone. After driving about 2 hours South from Florence on the A1 Autostrada we exited at the Orvieto off ramp and drove into the village of Orvieto Scalo where we met our host, Dr. Bernardo Barberani. After a brief introduction he escorted us up through the twisting roads that wind around the spectacular gorges and hills along Lago Corbara to the Barberani Cantina. The Cantina sits high above the valley with dramatic views of the vineyards and Lago Corbara to the north.

Lago Corbara was created by the construction of a 641-meter-long hydroelectric dam erected across the Tiber river in the 1960’s. The lake stretches out along the valley for miles creating a panorama of breath taking beauty. From the Barberani Cantina you get a birds-eye view of the vineyards that blanket the rolling hills and the lake spreading out below. Umbria is aptly referred to as “The Green Heart of Italy” The lushness of the rambling hills and valleys lying before us made it easy to see why. The Barberani property encompasses about 100 hectares (247 acres) a large estate by Italian standards. Only about half of the estate is planted with vines; the rest is in olive groves or woods. Bernardo told us they were not interested in expanding production. Rather, they have been reducing yields in an effort to improve the quality of the wines they produce. All the wines produced under the Barberani labels are sourced from their own vineyards. He explained that over the past few years the company has been in the process of a major agricultural renovation. The vineyards are being replanted with better clones, denser plantings and they have gone over completely to the guyot method of vine training. Azienda Agricola Barberani will produce about 30,000 cases of wine this year.

As we stood transfixed by the beauty of the area, Bernardo explained that this is one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. Wine production here dates back to the ancient Etruscans who found that the marly soil was capable of producing exceptionaly good wine. Marls are calcium or lime rich muds or Mudstone which contain variable amounts of Clay Calcite or Aragonite. It is typical of post-glacial lake bed sediments like those found here in the Tiber river valley and it imparts a unique character to the wines of the region. After the Roman conquest the highly prized local wines were conveniently shipped down the Tiber in barks where they became popular with the thirsty Romans. The signature wines of the region today are the dry or sweet white DOC Orvieto Classico and Superiore. They are typically a blend of five indigenous varieties including Trebbiano, Verdello, Grechetto, Canaiolo bianco, and Malvasia but "foreign" varieties such as Chardonnay and Riesling may also be used. The Lake Corbara sub region of Orvieto Classico produces Sauterne like sweet wines by a special process known as “Nobile Rot” or “Muffa Nobile” as it is known in Italy. Noble Rot occurs when a fungus, technically known as Botritus Cinera, is introduced to grapes left hanging on the vine well into the fall. Noble Rot usually occurs by inoculation when Botritus spores are sprayed over the grapes but in the region around Lake Corbara Noble rot is a naturally occurring phenomenon. On cool autumn mornings the area is blanketed buy a thick fog that comes off the lake. The moist air is conducive to the Botrytis spores naturally present in the air. In the process the grapes wither resulting in a dramatic rise in the flavor and sugar content of the fruit. The grapes are hand picked very late and in stages to allow the process to fully develop. Wines such as Barberani’s Calcaia are proving how successful these luscious dessert wines can be, even if they can only ever be produced in tiny quantities.”

Bernardo ushered us into the tasting room of the cantina where we met his younger brother Niccolo (24), Nick for short. Nick is the viticulturist and field operations manager for the cantina while Bernardo handles the marketing and business. Their father Luigi is the Owner and General manager. They oversee about 20 to 30 employees depending on the season. The Barberanis are obviously a close nit family. The history of the company goes back to Luigi’s father who started making wine to serve in the 3 restaurants he owned in Orvieto. Nick works closely with the Barberani’s Oenologist, Marizio Castelli. At the young age of 24 he has mastered the winemaking operation and Bernardo comments that he has one of the best palates in the business. Nick says it is a very busy time for him and the demands of the harvest are weighing heavily on his shoulders. The next day it rained and the harvest had to be suspended. Nick shrugged, “We needed the rain”, he said. “In Orvieto we are fortunate to have plenty of rainfall so we don’t need any irrigation at all.”

The large modern cantina was built in 1983 and is fitted with state of the art equipment. Overhead, there are rows of skylights to admit natural lighting into the building. Barbarani is not a purely biodynamic producer but they embrace natural methodologies as much as possible. Touring the cantina we visit the spacious warehouse and fully automated bottling line. A separate part of the building houses the fermentation room. Here, ranks of gleaming stainless steel fermentors stand silently and patiently putting the finishing touches on the hectoliters of wine inside. Once the grapes are crushed the must is pumped through chillers to retard the fermentation process; then into the temperature-controlled fermentors. For red wines special rotary paddles can be deployed to insure that the skins, pulp and juice are thoroughly mixed. This is preferable to “pumping over” where the juice tends to run in channels through the “cap” leaving much of the skins unexposed to the liquid.

At the back of the cantina, Bernardo shows us the crush pad area. Being early September the harvest, which runs from mid August through October, was in full swing. Nick told us he was currently harvesting his Riesling grapes. Harvesting begins at daybreak while the air is still cool. Once the heat sets in the harvested grapes would begin to deteriorate so by late morning the day’s harvest is over. It was afternoon and the crush pad was still wet from the clean up after the morning crush. Bernardo takes us on a virtual tour through the crushing process without having to shout over the din of machinery. The Barbaranis have found that machines can never be as selective or gentle as a human hands and they are resisting the trend toward indiscriminate automation. They have abandoned the commonly used Automated picking machines, bulk gondolas and steel augers in favor of more gentle handling practices. Bernardo explained that they want to avoid mishandling because as soon as the skins bruise or rupture uncontrolled fermentation will begin. The weight of the grapes alone can cause premature crushing so they are gently hand picked and sorted into ventilated plastic cassettes. The interlocking cassettes are stacked on wagons and rushed to the crushing area. The stems and seeds can produce a bitter taste in wine so the grape clusters are fed through a sophisticated destemmer that separates and ejects the stems from the grapes. The grapes proceed to the balloon crusher that uses an inflatable bladder to softly crush the grapes without rupturing the seeds. The resulting must is pumped through a chiller and into the first of a series of temperature controlled fermenting tanks. As we toured the cantina I was impressed by how the attention to a myriad of details ultimately differentiates a great wine from an ordinary one. Later at dinner with Bernardo we would find out just how well it all comes together in the creation of a superior product.

After a harrowing accent through the winding road that leads up to the Old city of Orvieto, We met Bernardo at Vinosus, a small wine bar situated in Piazza Duomo. Vinosus has lovely terrace strategically overlooking the Cathedral. It’s quite a spectacular view, especially by night. Orvieto is a "Slow Food" city known for it's culenary arts and Vinosus is top notch, one of Orvietos best. Our host, Luca started us off with a delicious fish course and we sampled some of Barberani’s white wines. Orvietto is known for it’s white wines and Barberani’s Orvietto classico Castagnolo is considered one of the best. It was fresh and crisp, a perfect companion to the delicate fish. My favorite though was the Grechetto. It’s a superb white mono varietal white wine that seems to get better and better with age. Along with the beef course came a cadre of reds. Polago is Barberani’s earthy robust blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano. It has a homey pastoral quality that calls for the company of savory foods. Foresco is Barbariani’s flagship red. It’s a big wine with a lot of body and great character. Foresco has the fortitude to stand up to braised and grilled meats and game. Villa Monticelli is Barbarani’s premium label. the Villa Monticelli Rosso is an elegant blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It’s a beautiful wine, well balanced with a long enticing finish. It was a lovely clear evening and the golden glow of the duomo by night made it all the more enchanting. We didn’t want to leave, especially considering the harrowing drive along the cliffs that lie ahead of us.

The Umbrians say, "If you can drive in Orvieto you can drive anywhere." We made it but Kristi says "never again". After a good nights sleep at Barbarani’s agritourismo we had a quick breakfast and returned to Orvieto for some sightseeing. Only This time we took the funiculare, a kind of cable rail car that climbs straight up to the top of the fortress city. I hardily recomend this method of assent. You can buy an all inclusive ticket that covers the funiculare, buses and many of the cities attractions for a nominal fee. Orvieto is one of Italy’s oldest and most fascinating cities to tour and one it’s best kept secrets. Anyone visiting Italy should not miss this enchanting 12th century town.