The landscape is an integral part of the emotional contents linked to wine, along with its historical events. Particularly, the timeless character of wine should be communicated as the expression of a matchless terroir, delimited and recognizable, where wines have been born and lived for centuries.
Prof. Attilio ScienzaThe fertile soils covered with vineyards decline slowly from the caldera rim towards the Tiber valley and the Viterbo plain. We find a micro-climate in the vast circular basin, open towards Lake Bolsena. The lying position of the soils, which are fertile, well-drained, rich in clay and mineral elements, namely potassium, and the thermal conditions make of this area a natural greenhouse. It is a territory that has held on to its wine-growing traditions, which have allowed the preservation of some historical vineyards with a live tutor, the maple tree, already used by the Etruscans. The oenological tradition is also preserved through the almost exclusive growing of ancient vine varieties such as Procanico, a local ecotype of Tuscan Trebbiano, long Malvasia and yellow Trebbiano. The area features also Roscetto, an autochthonous variety from Latium, belonging to the heterogenous family of Greco grapes. The vineyards are exposed to a mild climate throughout the year, rainy in winter and hot in the summer with important thermal excursion between day and night.
The Brunello zone, although covering a not so vast area, features diverse grounds rich in marl, palombino, clay and lake and sea sands. The climate is Mediterranean but presents also continental aspects because of the intermediate position between the sea and the Central Apennines mountains. The geo-pedologic diversity along with the most evident aspects of the local climate, characterize strongly Sangiovese wines and give distinct organoleptic characteristics.
The vineyards lie on the hills forming a wide enclosure surrounding Lake Bolsena, with the terrains declining from 500-600 meters down to the lake. They show little structure, they are loose and rich in potassium and phosphorus. They are the most suitable terroirs to grow Aleatico. The conformation of the land and the distance from the sea give the region a varied climate that changes according to the mountain system and the different altitudes. Strong thermal excursions between night and day make the ripening of grapes easier and contrast rot in the bunches during late harvests. On the higher lands the climate is mild and cool with frequent rains, sometimes with snowfalls whereas in the plain and on the hills, it is mild Mediterranean-continental.
This area is characterized by clayey-sandy soil, often rich in structure. On the higher grounds the soils derive from the loamy-sandy matrix and feature higher amounts of clay and limestone. At Marcigliano, on the Umbrian side of the Tiber, marine Pleistocene clays prevail, while at Pompigliano on the Latium side, terraces with rough, alluvial quaternary deposits are mainly present.
The area in Terni province which is more involved in grape-growing is at the confluence of the Paglia and Tiber rivers. The upper Tiber valley, thanks to its characteristic position, to the territorial morphology and lithology is apt to produce quality wines: the soils destined to grape-growing are little or medium deep, with a moderate amount of rough texture, mainly free, muddy or clayey. The area offers a great variety of microclimates and is the ideal environment for rich and top class viticulture. The area is characterized by very cold winters and hot summers, partially mitigated by Corbara Lake not far from the Umbrian estate.
