Umbria, known as the greenheart of Italy, is an incredible lush and verdant part of the country. In this great region, Sagrantino grows, a complicated and profound grape variety, that makes some of the best passito I have ever tasted. As a sweet wine lover, passito is always on my radar. I can’t remember when I first tried his passito but it was a long time ago.  Sagrantino from Antonelli is made in Montefalco. Initially it was considered a holy wine destined for consumption during the Christian festivals. I still feel that way about this wine which is why I called it the “Nectar of the Gods” – obviously not referring to Christianity but still close to something divine.

The grapes are picked at the end of September, placed in crates in single layers. The bunches most suited for drying are specially selected. They spend two months in these crates. They spend time fermenting on the skins and then in 25 hL oak barrels for 12 months. The wine settles in glass lined cement vats for 18 months; and then undergoes bottle ageing for 12 months.

I was lucky enough to visit Montefalco years ago as well. It was a beautiful area and one I highly recommend visiting. I’m glad to have the #ItalianFWT to revisit some of these beautiful properties, if only “virtually.”

Jeff Burrows, the host of this month’s group, has posted some great information on the region and the grape variety  here and here.

This month, our group of bloggers have been wrestling with Sagrantino, take a look at their posts below. This Saturday Feb. 2, our posts will all be live and we’ll be chatting about our discoveries. Join us on Twitter at 10am CST at #ItalianFWT, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with Sagrantino! Take a look at all the great ideas our group will be posting:

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Buridda for Befana + Còlpetrone 2011 Montefalco Sagrantino”
• Marcia from Joy of Wine shares “The Power of Sagrantino”
• Jill from L’Occasion shares “Azienda Agricola Fongoli: Making Natural Wine In Umbria“
• Katarina from Grapevine Adventures shares “A Biodynamic Expression of Sagrantino in Umbria”
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Antonelli San Marco: Umbria’s Wine History in a Glass”
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Italy’s Finest Wine At A Great Price“
• Giselle from Gusto Wine Tours (in Umbria!) shares “#ItalianFWT – Sagrantino For The Win(e)”
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “Getting to know Italy’s Sagrantino“
• Jennifer from Vino Travels Italy shares “Lawyers to Winemaking with Antonelli San Marco”
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Còlpetrone Montfalco Sagrantino and Pasta with Red Pesto & Truffle Meat Sauce“
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Montefalco Sagrantino on a Cold Winter’s Night” and here at  Avvinare  I posted “Nectar of the Gods: Antonelli’s Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG.”