The Wine - MontefalcoDoc

The wines of Montefalco

“Anyone found carrying grapes unripe or ripe and not having their own vineyard or renting one or a tenant farmer will be punished as one who has entered the vineyard of another and harvested grapes”.

from the "Statuto Comunale", IV Libro, Rubrica 2, fifteenth century.

Visiting Montefalco, one of the very few Italian cities where wine growing was also practiced in the urban centre, offers the chance to get to know truly singular places in the wine-growing landscape. The circuit of historic vines offers visitors the chance to retrace the signs of the Montefalco agrarian structure in the fifteenth century that Benozzo Gozzoli had traced in the frescoes kept in the Museum of San Franceseco. In the Municipal Historic Archive of Montefalco, there are numerous documents that testify to the care with which, long ago, the wine growers of Montefalco dedicated themselves to “fields planted with vines”. Starting from the fifteenth century, municipal law began to protect, in a certain way, vines and wine. The cultivation of grapes in the territory of Montefalco dates to Roman times. Pliny the Elder tells of a vine of special prestige drawn from the “Itriola” grape. This, however, does not seem to be identifiable with the Sagrantino grape, which was brought by Franciscan friars from Asia Minor. It is to this grape, cultivated in these hill alone, to which the City of Montefalco owes its oenological fortune. Although it almost disappeared from Umbrian vineyards in the 1970s, the Sagrantino grape was recuperated thanks to the dedication and courage of a few agricultural entrepreneurs and wine growers, who succeeded in obtaining DOC recognition for the wine in 1979, followed by DOCG in 1992. Since 2001, the wines of Montefalco have been protected by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco. The production zone of Montefalco Wines is in the centre of Umbrian in a hilly area situated in an optimal position with certain special geological characteristics. The Sagrantino planted on 660 hectares registers an average annual production of 1.7 million bottles, whereas the Montefalco DOC, planted on 430 hectares, produces around 2.2 million bottles.

Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG

The Sagrantino grape is the richest in polyphenols in existence, the ideal material for wines with great structure and longevity. Cultivated since antiquity on the slopes of the Monti Martani, which slant toward the side of the Clitunno, it finds a perfect home in this territory, characterised as it is by a mild climate and clayey earth rich in calcium. It is known that this same grape variety, planted elsewhere, has a qualitatively inferior potential. For the Montefalco Sagrantino, production regulations require that only Sagrantino grapes are used. The minimum aging period for the Secco and Passito wines is thirty three months, starting on 1 December the year of the grape production; for the Secco wine, at least twelve of these months must be in oak barrels, of any size.

Sagrantino di Montefalco – secco DOCG. This is a wine with great structure, obtained exclusively from Sagrantino grapes. Thanks to its extremely rich polyphenol and tannin content, this vine has extraordinary longevity and requires a long period of refinement, first in wood, then in the bottle. It is a full-bodied, warm wine with an intense blackberry perfume and intense ruby red in colour. It pairs well with various meats, from beef and pork to goat and lamb, also enhancing typical game dishes, including thrush and migratory wood pigeon. The recommended serving temperature is 18°.

Sagrantino di Montefalco – passito DOCG. The traditional Passito is obtained from the same grape. This version derives from a traditional process of partial drying, very well-suited to this type: Sagrantino grapes are in fact especially thick-skinned and dry for months without spoiling and when conserved at length the partially-dried grapes preserve their sugar content intact. The grape bunches are carefully selected and put to dry on trellises for at least two months. Then they are made into wine, fermenting the must with the skins. One thus obtains a very special Passito wine, since although a sweet wine, it is also dry thanks to its tannin content. The Montefalco Sagrantino Passito pairs especially well with typical local sweets and desserts like “la ‘ntòrta” (local dialect for 'the cake'), a twisted dessert made with apples, dried fruit, walnut and pine nuts and “Maccheroni con le noci” a sweet pasta eaten in November and December. If it has been aged for an especially long time, it is also excellent with spicy and aged pecorino cheeses. The recommended serving temperature is 12°.

Montefalco Rosso DOC

For the Montefalco Rosso, production regulations require a mix of red grapes (mostly Sangiovese) as well as the principle variety, Sagrantino. The ageing period must last for at least eighteen months starting on 1 November the year of the production of the grapes whereas for the 'reserve' red at least thirty months are required, twelve of which in oak barrels. It is bright ruby red in colour with grapey, intense perfumes and hints of more or less ripe plums. To the palate, the wine expresses a generous body and dry flavour, tannic to the right degree. It is a structured wine but very drinkable. It pairs especially well with traditional Umbrian first courses and second courses of roast or grilled meat. The recommended serving temperature is 16° C.

Montefalco Bianco DOC

The main grapes used for the Montefalco Bianco DOC are Grechetto and Trebbiano. The cool microclimate of the production area facilitates the maturation of the grapes, which produce a fragrant wine with a pleasing fruity character. It is straw yellow in colour with pale green nuances. Its perfumes are fresh and tidy, with hints of white flowers and fruit, especially apples. To the taste, the wine expresses sapidity and freshness, with a good balance of components.

The aromas and flavours provided by the Grechetto are accompanied by the fresh note typical of Trebbiano. The white can be paired with light starters, vegetables with and without broth, fish and white meats. The recommended serving temperature is 10°.

A bit of history

A rare mention – dating from classical antiquity – of a prized grape that might concern the Montefalco area is provided by Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, when he recalls the Itriola grape cultivated in the municipality of Bevagna and in Piceno: “Itriola Umbriae Mevanatique et Piceno agro peculiaris est”. This denomination, which was not mentioned again, has given rise to numerous theories. In fact, in 1596, Andrea Bacci identified the Itriola grape as the Passerina (or the grape of Corinth). Later, Dalmasso tried to explain the name making it derive from the Greek trptov, which would qualify the grape, which he identified as the Passerina, for its sweetness. According to Bunbury, it was instead the Pizzutello, whereas Billard limited himself to classifying it in Group C of wine grapes. Very recently, the archaeologist Carlo Pietrangeli matched it with the Sagrantina grape, from which one makes the typical Sagrantino wine of Montefalco: keeping in mind that in antiquity the Montefalco territory belonged to the municipality of Mevania. In effect, this is the grape that seems to correspond precisely to the characteristics described above.

From the 11th to the 13th century

Immediately after the year one thousand, the culture of vines – and so the production of wine – is well documented. A quick scan of the eleventh to the fourteenth century can be useful for demonstrating the ancient, never-wavering wine producing tradition. In June 1088, in a donation made by some residents of Fabbri to “servus Dei” Bemardo, of what belonged to them of the parish church of S. Angelo, it is stated “cum terris et v ine i s”, and it is said again that the same Bernardo, adding his own “terre et vi ne e”, gave the whole of the abbey of Sassovivo. In a July 1113 document of the Fermo abbey, which refers to the Montefalco area, and precisely of the Valle di S. Paolo, below the Fabbri castle, establishing an exchange of land, it was specified: “Pro qua commutatione recepì terram et vineam prefatae ecclesiae in Valle Sancti Pauli, sicut fuit nostra'' convenientia», «quandocumque et ubicumque opus fùerit ipsam terram et vinca m minime defenderimus”. On 9 February 1204, a certain Andrea, together with his wife Casalina, sold to Angolarlo, judge of Coccorone (Montefalco, dal 1249), a “petiam terre vincale in curtis castri Coronii, in loco qui dicitur Vagiano” (in the early Middle Ages: Varianum, court of the Longobard dukes of Spoleto, which corresponds to today’s San Fortunto). In another act of 13 April 1205, a woman named Scolta sold four parcels of land to the same judge Angelario in Turri, including one called: “aut in Molgis, aut ad Fontanellam, vel v i n e a”. On 4 September 1209, the judge Angelario issued a sentence in teh dispute between Atto, treasurer of the church of S. Donato di Buiano and Accurziolo, in that “Acto petebat ei Accusuro tres modiolos terre et vince dicens eum iniuste tenere”. On 2 April 1211, a certain Bonante exchanged lands below Turri with a certain Maestro Angelario: “v i ne e que est post Turrium”, with other lands, “fra cui partem pastini quod est subtus domum Rubulini”; ‘pastine’, one knows, is a newly-planted vine. On 5 June 1221, the Benedictine monastery of S. Maria di Turrita, and for it the prior Egidio, came in possession of a vineyard below Fabbri, in the territory of Trevi: “terram et vineam existentem in vocabulo de Arsitali in territorio trebano”. That the culture of vines was in great development in the early fourteenth century is demonstrated in a document of 10 June 1222, with which the abbot of Mandano of Trevi and the prior of S. Maria di Turitta gave some land for crop-sharing, precisely “ad pastinandum et bene cultandum, donec vinca ibi durare poterit in bonitate”. On 19 April 1231, among the testimony of the assets of the hospital of S. Manno “della Selva Mattutina” (today La Selvetta), we read: “dominus Petrus defert ad domum eius bladum et vinum hospitalis”; and again: “bona hospitali Sancti Manni sunt bene cultata et laborata, scilicet quod vinca estpotat a”. Later, mentions of land cultivated with vines abound. We will choose only the references that seem especially significant. Of considerable importance is a concession in emphyteusis of a vineyard by a Benedictine prior from Turrita to Gentilone di Diotidia and a Masseo di Diotisalvi, under the following conditions: «Dando et reddendo annuatim, nomine incessu (leggi: incensus) et pensionis predicta vinca medietatem vini puri qui erit in dieta vinca, hoc modo, scilicet deviando in torcularibus vis ad voluntatem ipsius rectoris vel eius nuntii quam vel ipsius nuntium requirere promiserunt tempore v indemi aru m, et dare, annuatim, conmedere nuntio diete ecclesie du m vindemiabitur ipsa vinca et prò capucanali unumparumpullorum..». Another contract of this kind is listed under 12 February 1252, and the ground-landlord is the same prior: «dedit et concessit Scagnio et Benvinuto Egidii quandam petie terre ipsius ecclesie v i n e a t e ad laboritium donec in ipsa terra vinca durabit, quam v i n e a m promiserunt, ipsi priori prò ipsam ecclesiam recipienti, bene laborare ad usum boni laboratoris et reddere ei medietate mus ti omni anno donec ipsam vinca stabit in dieta terra, aliam medietate habeant ipsius prò eorum laboritio, et promiserunt dare ei omni anno prò capucanale sedecim denariorum». And again, on 29 September 1258, the same prior of Turrita let some land under the following conditions: «... dedit, cessit atque locavit Angelo luliani duodecim staria terre ipsius ecclesie adpastinandum v ine a m in dieta terra et bene laborandum et bene cultandum, donec vinca in ipsam terram durabit, sine fraude... qua terra promisit dictus Angelus ipsius priori pastinare vinca m et adievare et ipsam bene colere et laborare ad usum boni laboratoris et reddere et readsignare nuntio diete ecclesie medietate omnium fructuum diete terre et medietatem m usti puri et ad guatici i aliam mediatatem...». In 1289, 20 November, the abbot of Sassovivo granted land for tenant farming in Gallo, specifying the following conditions: «promisit dictam terram bene laborare et cultare, et ponere vinca m per totum, hinc ad duos annos proximos et ipsam v i n e a m bene laborare et custodire usu boni laboratoris et rendere medietatem fructuum diete vinie, silicet v i n i puri et aquatitii.. et dare annuatim prò capucanalis tempore vendebiarum VIden.et non vendebiare nec pistare sine voluntate et requisitione dicti domini abbatis...». As one can see, over the years the contracts became increasingly precise, descriptive and analytic. The same relationships between ground-landlord and tenant farmer were being better defined.

From the 14th to the 16th century

But we do not want to silence another leasing, rather more demanding than the preceding ones, granted by the Benedictine monks of S. Benedetto del Poggiolo to Simone di Giacomo da Montefalco, on 19 October 1315: “... dederunt, concesserunt et locaverunt... imam petiam terre dicti monasteri!, ad pistonandum et v ine a m p o nendum et adievandum, positam in districtu Montisfalco, in asio Paludis, in vocabulo Pontis Turris ...Promisit dictus Symon prò se et suos heredes... dictam terram locatam vineanda etpastonanda bene cholere et laborare ad usum boni laboratoris et ipsam terram pastonare, v i n e a m in ipsa ponere et plantare, accrescere et allevare, potare, pappare, palare, ligure, occhare, aracholglere, scioccare, affossare, assepare et claudere et custodir e, vendembiare, uva m pisstare omnibus ipsius Symonis subtus et expressus et recidere nuntio dicti monasterii et dominarum ipsius monasterii medietatem omnium fructuum, silicet m u s s t i, acquatica, saramentorum et aliorum lignorum in dieta vinca exientibus in vinea predicta”. This act is of extreme interest because there we find listed, with a construction almost like a liturgical chant, all of the operations necessary for the planting of a vineyard, its cultivation, the production of must and even of a light wine, obtained from the last pressing with the addition of water.

The sale of wine was also rather well documented by the thirteenth century. On 30 March 1290, prior Giovanni di S. Maria di Turrita promised to pay a certain Paolo di Compagnone, by a pre-determined date and on his request, the sum of 36 soldi cortonesi, price of “q u a t u o r bruccarum v i n i”. On 8 February 1302, Maestro Andrea di Compagnone receipted to Raino di Venutone, “...de duobus cestonibus plenis grani et de uno cestone quasi medium grani, de uno cestone cum fabis, de duobus vegentibus vini, qualiter una piena et alia cum pauco vino et de uno sacco pieno panici”. The 'vegenta' is our barrel, or perhaps better, cask. On 4 January 1507, Niccolo di Bamaba declared himself a debtor to the notary ser Paride di ser Giacomo (Piperoni) for the sum of twenty florins and two bolognini, received in order to carry on the sale of wine (“exercere traficare in arte vini”). Moreove, on 5 October 1506, Bernardino di Cola Corraducci declared before a notary that since he turned fourteen years of age he had toiled and sweated at the pruning of vines that then bore fruit in the possessions of his father: “semper, post quam pervenit ad verilem etatem quatuordecim annorum, semper laboravit et eu sudaverit in plantado arvores vites ...”. To understand the importance of this sector of local agriculture and economy in free communal life, one must consider the Statutes, the laws the regulated the republic, down to the smallest details. And also keeping in mind that these have come to us united as their final revision of 1424, good sense and many specific clues ensure that the Statutes were maintaining much older juridical norms, uses and customs. The IV Book, that titled “On given damage”, dedicates many rubrics to the cultivation of vines and its product, thus revealing the interest in wanting to maintain and defend a typical local product of excellent quality and great prestige on the market, with the intention of developing and promoting it to the maximum degree. Here are the relative texts, taken from the vulgate translation ordered by the Municipality from Doti Giovan Francesco Guarini in 1692. Rubric 2. on the penalty for he who does damage in the vineyard. No person of Montefalco, or its district, may venture or presume to enter the vineyard of someone else, on penalty of 10 soldi. And still in any of the above-said cases, he will pay for every grape stalk taken up to three grape stalks, two soldi; from there up he pays five soldi for every grape stalk. If then he has taken grapes from the arbours, he is punished in the same way, as if he had entered a vineyard. Anyone found carrying grapes unripe or ripe and not having their own vineyard or renting one or a tenant farmer will be punished as one who has entered the vineyard of another and harvested grapes, if he has not proved that said grapes were given to him by someone. And anyone found carrying implements suited for harvesting grapes or anything similar, will be punished as if he had taken grapes. Minors under ten years old down to seven are judged by appearance by said Notary and punished with a half penalty. But if seven or under, he will pay no penalty. And in all cases, where damage is caused with beasts or without beasts, the father is obligated on behalf of the child, and the master on behalf of the servant, in the period in which the above-said things do not occur in the damage done, that is in the above-said vineyards in the months of November, December, January and February. Rubric 6. On the penalty for he takes the stakes from the vineyards of others. No person may venture, or presume, to extract or take new or old stakes from the vineyards of others in the district of Montefalco, or of any of these, on penalty of 25 soldi for each one, and for each time; and any person one understands to have taken away the stakes from these vineyards, who is found carrying or having the stakes related to these vineyards; if they are not the stakes of he who is taking them to his vineyard, or who has it as a tenant farmer. And if the Notary must conduct an inquiry concerning damage done in any month, and those who through inquiry are found delinquent, he must punish and exercise the above-said penalties and have them pass to the Municipality, on penalty of ten libras from his salary. And this does not occur in those in which they take them from their own vineyard or a vineyard they are renting. Rubric 12. On the penalty for those who sell grapes without a license. No persona may venture or presume to sell in the Piazza del Comune of Montefalco, or in other places, unripe or ripe grapes, without a license from the Notary on penalty of two soldi for each grape stalk. And anyone can accuse and denounce the offender and has the part of the damage. And the Notary will conduct the inquisition ex officio. It is however legitimate for everyone to sell grapes with a license from said Notary. Rubric 13. No persona may carry grapes above three grape stalks. No person of Montefalco, or of its district, may venture or presume for his own grapes or of others gather, in the carrying out of the harvest above three grape stalks on penalty of five soldi for each grape stalk in addition to the penalty declared above, and anyone may denounce and accuse the offenders and have part of the condemnation. And said Notary must solemnly investigate the above-said things and others above-named damaging persons twice a week from the first of July until the first of October, at least, bound by oath, and 110 libras of his salary; and with said penalty is punished anyone who will take grapes outside the district of Montefalco. In the local economy, the culture of vines and of wine production also promoted other collateral activities of some importance. For example, we have notice of a certain Giovanni di Angelo da Visso, “magister bigon^orum”, who moved to Montefalco to practise his trade; on 19 January 1493, he borrowed 5 florins for this reason: “causa exercendi et traficandi in arte bigonorum et botorum, quam artem ipse exerceat ad licitam partem lucri”. Wine, naturally, was part of many aspects of everyday discourse, so much so that the notary Girolamo di Francesco di Santuccio (Calvi), noted, among other notes and recollections, on 14 April 1500: It was reasoned among many that saffron was worth three florins and now 12 and that wine was worth three florins and now two. Alfonso said wine three florins and saffron three florins, but I did not believe him”27. With the Renaissance, the notices become more interesting, meaningful and numerous. We will select a few of them. Wine was such an important aspect of social and economic life, a product of such high value, that it was held in the highest consideration. For example, in the will of a certain Letizia, former wife of Cristoforo di Angelo di Petrone, drawn up by the notary Leonello Bontadosi on 13 May 1502, we find among the numerous bequests: “tem reliquit ecclesie Sancte Illuminate et moniales Sancti Leonardi imam sa Ima m m usti prò quolibet.. Item reliquit et voluit quod infrascriptì sui heredes teneantur et debeant dare amore Dei pauperibus diete terre, tribus annis post mortem ipsius testatricis, in festo Ascensionis Domini nostri lesu Christi, unam mezengam panis et unum barile vini... Item reliquit ecclesie Sancte Marie Angelorum de Assisto unam salmam m usti... Item reliquit quod infrascripti sui heredes teneantur et debeant dare fratribus Sancti Augustini, in festo sancte Mariae de mensis augusti libre decem camium, libre decem panis et quinque/o liectas vini prout patet ex testamentum Antonii sui patris”28. On 12 June 1540, cardinal Legate di Perugia, in a dated letter from S. Maria degli Angeli, ordered a fee in provisions from the land of his legation, to be collected the following 14th; Montefalco was ordered to provide 2000 libras of bread and 40 barrels of wine”29. The tremendous importance of wine in the life of the "Ubero Comune" is demonstrated by the fact that, every year, from 1540 on (but which also occurred earlier) the municipal council established, by a rigorous ordinance, the date of the start of the grape harvest, which was 28 August that year: “Quod nulla persona possit vendemiare usque ad X3 dies mensis sectembris. — Item (spectabilis et prudentissimus vir ser Marcellus Moriconus) suum prosequendo dictum dixit et consuluit, quod nemini sit licitum, et nulla persona cuiuscumque gradus, conditionis, vel priminentia sit, tam de Terra Montisfalchonis quam de eius comitatus et districtus, audeat nec presumat vendemiare nec vendemiari facere usque ad decem dies de mense septembris presentis anni, et quatenus contrafecerit incidat in penam duorum florenorum prò quolibet contrafacientes, que pena prò tribus partibus applicetur nostre Comunitatis, alia quarta pars applicetur executori excutionem facientem. Quod consultum servatis servandis, more solito victum, obtentum et reformatum fùit per palluttas triginta repertas in bussala alba, del sic, unam in contrarium non obstante. Del sic: 30, del non. 1. For the preceding period, we find that, on 23 September 1521, the podestà of Montefalco (Girolamo Verisi da Visso) arrested Bernardino detto Bizzarro son of ser Nicola, because he harvested before the date established in the Statute (“venebiavit ante terminum Statuti”). In order to obtain provisional liberty, he had to give a gold ring in pledge31. And wine, naturally, with the product most often given as a gift, even to illustrious figures, including the pope. In the account books of the Municipality, among the expenditures, we often find note of such gifts, for example on 31 October 1544: “Mariocto prefato fuit facta bollecta quia det et solvat loan lacobo Bastiani prog r eco condonato S.D.N. [Paolo III, Farnese], bononenos 8. Mariocto prefato fuit facta bullecta quia det et solvat Cichone Besacce, prò vino greco condonato S.D.N., bononenos septem”. More wine sent to the cardinal Legate in Perugia was paid on 31 December: “Mariocto prefato fuit facta bullecta quia magistro Cole Faccenne det et solvat baiocchi triginta sex prò mercede asportatione vini Perusium Reverendissimo Legato [card. Ascanio, Parisani da Tolentino], prout in libro crediti ad e. 38, videlicet — ba. 36.” Montefalco wine, as is quite clear, was also appreciated by the next rector of the province, the Roman cardinal Tiberio Crispo, because it was also sent to him, as seen from the following payments: 24 October 1546 - “Ser Persio prefato fuit facta bullecta quia det et solvat Franciso Pauli prò asportatione vini in civitate Fulginei, M. D. Francesco Castagna — b. 15”; another similar payment is recorded under the date 31 October; and again on 30 June 1547: “Famulo monasterium Sancte Marie Magdalene, baiocchi quatragintasex cum dimidio inter ambos, prò victura potantibus vinum Fulginei prò commissione domini Francisci Castanea prò reverendissimo Legato —— b. 46”. More wine was sent as a gift from the Municipality to the Legate, cardinal Giulio Feltrio della Rovere, on the occasione of Duke of Urbino’s visit to Assisi: 1553, August 18 -“Magnifico Domino Capitaneo Angelo de5 Nobilibus primo priori, prò vino vendite nostre comunitatis, prò quatuor onoforis vini condonati reverendissimo et illustrissimo domino Legato in adventu eccellentissimi Ducis Urbini in civitate Asisii, baiocchos duodecim cum dimidio. - Domine Faustine ser Hieronimi, prò duobus honoforis dicti vini venditi nostre comunitati in adventu eccellentissimi Ducis Urbini in civitate Asisii et ibidem asportati, baiocchos sex in denarios quinquaginta. - Magnifico domino Auriano de9 Cuppis”, idem come sopra per baiocchi 16; e seguono altre simili spese33. In 1560, Montefalco was given in perpetual government to cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli of Orvieto, and despite all opposing resistance, at the end this subjugation – which in all truth only lasted a few months – had to be accepted. We find substantiation in the usual account records, where the following expenditure was noted: “Magnifico domino Hieronimo Magonio lucumtenenti [per il cardinale Simoncelli], flor. decem et novem et baiocchi vigintiquinque prò eius salario et servitio mensis aprilis 1560, ex quibus fl. 19 etba. 25 retineat...; ba. vigintiunum prò tot tarantelle et duobus flaschis vini condonati Auditori reverendissimi Simoncelli....”34. The prized wine of Montefalco was by then, at the height of the Renaissance, so well-known and appreciated that Cipriano Piccolpasso, provider for the Perugia fortress, in 1565, as soon as he was tasked with writing up a precise report on all of the places of the state of the province of Umbria, expressed himself thus in discussing Montefalco: “... The place is beautiful, located on a charming hill with a very beautiful view, it harvests many fruits and grain and wine to give to you ...”, and again: “This land is located on a hill more wild than cultivated to the eye, if then everything is made pleasing in coming closer to the place, as it is adorned with eleven good vineyards, cultivated, fruitful land, delicate wines and excellent grain, that are to the advantage of the people; the fruits are thus most perfect and in great abundance”35. Since Piccolpasso’s report was intended for the pope, we can consider the citation as the first official recognition of the exquisite wines of Montefalco. In the municipal council of 23 July 15665, it was ordered, keeping in mind that the governor of Perugia has returned the silver tax offered to him by the Municipality, to send as a gift to same, “for having much favoured our Community in our disputes with the communities of Foligno and Trevi”, 25 pairs of chickens, 25 pairs of pigeons and 30 flasks of wine”36. Such generally consumable gifts, and especially wine, must have been common, since we find another council resolution, on 22 January 1576, which establishes: “That the Lord Priors with the said men have the authority to present his most reverend lordship [the governor of Perugia, who was at the time Ottavio Santacroce] chickens, confectionary, wax and wine, according as to their lordships it will appear up to a sum of fifteen scudi and not beyond”, voted 34 yes and 12 no37. We have other important information from the bailiff of the nuns of S. Leonardo, Giovan Simone Moriconi (1514-1588), who in the period of his tenure, which began in 1558, kept special track, in very precise records, of the monastic agrarian enterprise. From his annotations, we will cite only the reference to an event damaging the vine plantings, namely the freeze that took place in winter 1586, which left its trace for years to come in the production of wine and the general economy. Here is the account in his own words: “Memory of the winter of 1586 for the ice and snow and cold (at in the day the sun would loosen the snow and the ice and the night would again freeze up) universally drying the plantings, many in fact and many budded again and came out through the thick branches more than the twigs but the olives and the so-called knot grass were not harmed. And in a similar field and the arbours nearby one went dry and it was necessary to cut it low for making fire and the other budded again a little or nothing and the other was little or not at all harmed. But of the olives, the majority would be four years ahead in appearance. The pergolas and the olives suffered for the most part for the low places. The pergolas dried out and the whole enclosures and many came out from low down and the beasts make roses. The ones that were putting back one hundred loads of must replaced these harvests of 1586 six loads of must and for the Trevi plain there were those who were putting back one hundred loads of must they did not harvest a load of grapes. The laurels, the figs, the oaks, the thorns and other kinds of trees dried out. One the good side there was a lot of old wine and valued at 25 and 26 pauli the load”38. As one clearly sees, if the good bailiff, in his description of the damage gives precedence to the olives, when he then goes to make the assessment he chooses the vines, the must and the grapes as a measure. Certainly, after this bane the vine plantings would have come back with difficulty and after a long time. Proof of this is perhaps found in the very severe notice issued 16 August 1622 by cardinal Boncompagni, Legate of Perugia, who greatly increased the penalties established in the municipal Statute, even providing for the gallows for those who cut vines, certainly in order to facilitate the return of a formerly flourishing production, unfortunately declined in those times. Here is an extract from the notice: “If is any person should cut grape vines, he will incur the penalty of the gallows. And since beasts usually cause the greatest damage to the trees and vines; however for the conservation of the fruitful trees and vines, that are in the vineyards, gardens, plantings ... S. S. 111. but orders, and commands, that the entering in the vineyards, or gardens, of any large beast incurs the penalty of one scudo for each large beast and two giuli for small beasts ... ”39.

From the 17th to the 20th century

During the seventeenth century, the production picked back up, so much so that Dott. Antonio Bennati (1675), in his history of Montefalco, opens with the following words: “Montefalco, a place in Umbria located in the province of the Duchy of Spoleto, no more than ten miles distant from same. On a charming hill, detached from hills. With healthy air, and tempered, for human constitutions, surrounded by vegetation and charming fields, olives, excellent grapes ...”40. On 28 May 1703 the municipality of Spoleto ordered an official public notice to satisfy a vow made for liberation from earthquakes, for which one that day once had to make a pious pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Clare of Montefalco. “At the end of the procession ... monsignor went to S. Francesco, the canons in the Palazzo de' Tempestivi and the Priors went to dine at the Verziere de Calvi; the Community (of Montefalco) gave that of Spoleto muscats and other wines and confectionary, and in the evening they returned contented to Spoleto”41. In the same year, on 22 September, the Sacred Congregation of Good Government, with a letter sent from Rome to the bishop of Spoleto, required regulation of the sale of wine by the Conventual Friars of San Francesco, who had extensive properties and the largest cellars in Montefalco. This is the text: “Whenever the friars of San Francesco of Montefalco sell their wine retail, and provide drink, in the houses and cellars where they sell, are bound to the payment of the gabbella of the foglietta [just under a half litre of wine], since in such case it does not intercede their privilege of any kind, as ordered other times with the participation of Our Lord. Where Your Lordship in such guise must give opportune orders without awaiting any Inhibition, provided that it is not sent bound by commission signed by the hand of Our Lord, and God prosper”42. In the nineteenth century, we can note how Calindri, in his “essay” on the Pontifical State, cites Montefalco for its wines43 - We have thus arrived at our own times, when “Sagrantino” quietly begins to appear, the typical local wine, the speciality par excellence, the origins of the name of which cannot be absolutely established. It never appears in ancient documents: therefore we can at least say that the name is modern, although the elderly ensure us that they always heard it spoken, even by their own oldest relatives. In any case, this name never appears in the documentation. For which reason one must deduce that while the name is relatively recent, the wine must be very ancient, and that the triola of the Romans, the Greek wine of the Renaissance offered to popes and princes, the muscat wines of the eighteenth century, must at bottom recognise themselves in today’s Sagrantino of Montefalco. This, together with the other prized wines of the area, received grand recognition at the Umbrian Exposition of Perugia in 1899, which launched the product on a commercial scale, and gave Montefalco a name and place the effects of which are still felt today44. In 1915, Dott. L. Fronzi, for the first time, published a study of the grape variety and of Sagrantino, also attempting to explain its origins. He expressed it thus: “The Sagrantino of Montefalco is wholly of this hilly area of Umbria, of the territory of Montefalco, which extends above a series of hills from four hundred to five hundred metres above sea level, lightly sloping along the rich Spoleto plain. It is covered in specialised olive groves and vineyards, rarely trees. Its soil is favourable and well-suited for these ligneous cultivations. It is calcareous clay, sometimes also siliceous calcareous clay, the under-soil now deep, now mixed with gravel. One knows nothing with certainty about this grape variety, Sagrantino, neither the writers about agrarian things of the past or present having left us any notice of it. Most of the farmers retain that it is not a local variety but rather imported, perhaps by one of the numerous followers of Saint Francis of Assisi, who, from every part of Italy, flocked to lead a life of atonement and penitence. And the young monks of this hospitable land, wearing the rough cowl, in their leisure hours went to cultivate their gardens, where they had imported the most prized varieties of plants from their own countries, which they had learned to savour. We in fact still observe that these, formerly of religious bodies, have disseminated in excellent and multiple flourishing plants. It is easy to imagine how a variety once imported, little by little moved beyond the cloistered circle and became widespread everywhere throughout the Montefalco territory. So that for some farmers, who turned to our most accredited agricultural houses to have varied choice, it happened that they saw the arrival of some plants already in their possession, which they knew under a different name, and that they had not much considered, since they had not ever noted their worth. Perhaps it was in this way that Sagrantino was imported here. In the neighbouring area, it was in fact not cultivated: only now is it becoming widespread, and slowly. The reason might be found in the fact that Sagrantino is a grape variety of low production, requiring rich and complete fertilization. Until the present day, farmers, one can say, needed to look more to the copious production of the vines, more than to the goodness of the grapes. That is my opinion; the causes that most contributed to its limited circulation”. Up to here, Fronzi45. This last notable increase in the cultivation of vines and of wine production, and of Sagrantino in particular, reached its apex with a grand regional wine exhibition held in Montefalco itself, from 13 to 20 September 925, where more than 200 samples of wine were exhibited, “separated into common table wines, red and white (around 130), fine wines (around 30) and special wines (around 50)”: many local producers participated and aroused great consensus and enthusiasm. In the inaugural address, Prof. Francesco Francolini said: “This modest and simple celebration of labour, that the Town Hall of Montefalco and the Cattedra Ambulante dell'Agricoltura joined by the Sezioni determined to organise in the Region’s most important wine centre, is a tangible and eloquent display of what the Umbrian farmer can produce in his tranquil, silent work in the fields... Out of the whole region, the Collepiano zone of Montefalco occupies 1st place in the cultivation of specialised vines (713 hectares), with an average annual production of 65 quintals of grapes per hectare”. As a final note, dating to the decadent phase, we should mention the proposed theory that Sagrantino and Heiden – a grape and wine produced in Switzerland in the Italian Canton – might share a common origin, which makes one think of importation by the Saracens during their invasion of the peninsula 47. But neither the pairing nor the explanation seem plausible. To conclude this quick and certainly incomplete historic survey, I would like to offer a sonnet by a congenial dialectal poet from Foligno, Giulio Giuliani, who, wanting to celebrate Montefalco with his impromptu inspiration, around thirty-five years ago, when rhetoric was the fashion, found no more meaningful or representative element than its wine: MONTEFARGU Tè la vidi apparì come 'na póccia che se gonfia de sopra a la pianura e lu paese, accima de la roccia, saria lu capurellu. La virdura dell'uln e de li pampini, che sboccia p'ogni situ, tè manna la friscura e l'odore tè spanne d'una còccia de fiuritti crisciuti all'aria pura. Montefargu è 'na forte e bella valia che t'allatta e tè da sugu divinu, un latte arinomatu in tutta Italia, un latte che si chiama Sacrantinu e, dèlio, sughi sempre e vai a risusci... finché li nasi non se fanno rusci.