This weekend we went to the Sagrantino Wine Festival in Montefalco. For those who don’t know Sagrantino it is a big tannic red wine which is native to the Montefalco area and has been compared favourably to other heavy hitting Italian reds like Barolo and Brunello. Although it is still nowhere near as well known as these two it has a growing number of enthusiastic fans both in Italy and overseas. The exact origins of the Sagrantino grape variety are shrouded in myth and I have heard various stories from it being brought by Franciscan monks from Spain or directly from the middle East. It is also said that the name “Sagrantino” comes from “sacrament” as it was a wine that was used at religious ceremonies. The recent history of the renaissance of the Sagrantino wine is equally as interesting (and is probably equally shrouded in a mix of myth and marketing).
Montefalco itself is a lovely medieval town with Roman origins and which enjoys fantastic views over the whole vale of Spoleto (from Spoleto at one end to Assisi at the other). One of the nice discoveries we made on one of the many occasions we have spent wandering through the charming backstreets of the town is a small plot of Sagrantino vines in the middle of the buildings which were planted over 150 years ago and have now been adopted by one of the most important Sagrantino producers, Caprai (see the photos).
The Montefalco Sagrantino Wine Festival is held annually in September. The festival runs for four days and as well as guided wine tastings there are also various events such as a film festival, winery visits and concerts. There was also an Italian folk concert in the central piazza on Sunday where from floats decorated with grape vines local producers were distributing samples of their specialities such as porchetta, coppa and salamis, as well as rustic wines. Whilst I love the homemade taste of the farmer’s own wines I don’t really agree with the old adage that this is the best wine so spent more than my fair share of time in the tasting zone in the cloister of St. Augustine where the most important Sagrantino wine producers had stands. In the tasting zone all you have to do is pay for your glass on your way in. The wine glasses come in various sizes and whilst the smaller ones had a really nice “Strada del Sagrantino” logo etched on them, Sagrantino really needs a big glass so that is what I went for even though it cost twice as much (although I did get a handy carrying pouch). Armed with my trusty glass I did a tour of the various producers. It was great to get the chance to chat about the newly released 2005 Sagrantino (great but still very young) and the upcoming harvest (which will hopefully start in the next few days when the recent spell of wet weather passes) with some of the producers and sommeliers (including our friend, the always simpatico Mario Ugolini who was manning the Caprai stand). Of course I also got the chance to “reacquaint” myself with some old favourites, such as Perticaia Sagrantino and Caprai 25 Anni, as well as try one or two other wines that I hadn’t tasted before such as the excellent Adanti Sagrantino Passito (dessert wine). A fairly nice way to pass a Sunday afternoon on what is officially the first day of autumn in Italy.
One of the interesting things was that they were also giving out free alcohol testing kits at the festival. I have noticed a big difference in the last few years in the attitude to drink driving in Italy and I think the fact that these kits were being given out is indicative of this. Luckily I didn’t need the testing kit anyway as I wasn’t driving anyway so I brought a couple home for my father!
Sagrantino
Wine Sauce Recipe
To make a simple Sagrantino sauce to accompany red meat such as beef or lamb as well as guinea fowl all you need is 600ml of Sagrantino di Montefalco, 30g of finely chopped shallots, one garlic clove, a couple of sprigs of rosemary, a couple of sage leaves and a little olive oil. Gently fry the shallots, garlic, sage and rosemary in the olive oil. Add the the Sarantino wine and reduce to a syrup. Strain and cool.
