WINE-TASTING IN UMBRIA OR TUSCANY

If Mike won’t let you taste one of his wines (he’s a little modest about the quality of his vino da tavola in the midst of some of the best wines in Italy) …

There are several vineyards from which to choose. In our immediate area, located in the Niccone Valley, about a 15-minute drive from here are the Gritti-owned Girasole Vineyards. On Monday evenings, a tour of the cantina and vineyards, wine tasting, and dinner are offered for the very reasonable price of 25€. We can make reservations after your arrival. In the summer months, the tours are sometimes offered on Wednesday evenings as well.

The Lungarotti Vineyards in Torgiano, about a 35-minute drive from El Marsam, offer both wine and olive oil tasting. A proud Umbrian vineyard, Lungarotti has a Wine Museum, an Olive Oil Museum, and last but not least, Le Tre Vaselle Restaurant is where you can pair their local wines with regional specialties. Visit www.lungarotti.it.

You need not go any farther than Perugia, about a 30-minute drive from El Marsam, to taste an extensive variety of wines, whiskeys and cognacs in a vaulted cellar that dates back to the year 1100. The Perugia Wine Bar, Via Ulisse Rocchi, 16, Tel: 075-572-4824, is located in the heart of the city and is open Monday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Montefalco, in Umbria, about an hour’s drive from El Marsam, is known for its famed Sagrantino, a much prized Umbrian red wine, made from the Sagrantino grape, a variety found nowhere else in Europe. There are many enoteche in Montefalco, where you can taste the different varieties and many of the wine shops will ship anywhere.

Montepulciano in Tuscany, about a 90-minute drive from El Marsam, is known for its many wine cellars; many of them are actually underground tunnels that once connected the palaces and older grottoes carved into the tufa of the mountain. These enoteche offer visitors the chance to sample their famed wines and other local products: pecorino cheese salami, honey, and olive oil. Be sure to sample, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a violet-scented, orange-speckled ruby produced in the surrounding vineyards.

In an effort to make the discovery of Umbria and Tuscany more convenient and enjoyable for our guests, we have prepared and provide an up-to-date guest booklet with day trip itineraries from El Marsam. These pages include directions, restaurant and shopping suggestions, and sights to be seen.