he hills around Montefalco, to the south of Perugia in the heart of Umbria, represent the richest and most varied grape-growing and winemaking district in the region. The vinicultural tradition of the district originated in the Middle Ages through the work of the Benedictines, who put waste land into cultivation and planted some of the most ancient and typical Umbrian varieties.One of them is the celebrated Sagrantino, which is said to be of local origin, although many other hypotheses have been advanced to explain its appearance at Montefalco. Some experts say it was brought to the district by the first Franciscan friars, who planted it throughout the area. Others still argue that it was imported from Spain, although it might also have been introduced by the Saracens.
Sagrantino yields an excellent red wine as well as an aromatic beverage made from dried grapes that is considered one of the finest dessert wines of central Italy. In the Renaissance, the wines produced in the zone were sufficiently appreciated that they were served at the tables of popes and governors.
In succeeding centuries, they maintained their reputations, although often only on a local level. With the receipt of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata in 1980, upgraded to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita in 1993, these wines took on new life, for that recognition assured them sales on the domestic as well as foreign markets.
