Umbria

Often called the country's green heart, Umbria lies inland from Tuscany and its climate is more continental.  It’s famous for its endless medieval hill towns (Orvieto, Perugia, Assis, Gubbio, Urbino and I could go on . . . .), dense forests, and huge lakes.  The DOC of Orvieto from the impossibly beautiful town of the same name, put Grechetto firmly on the winedrinkers’ map and there is no better exponent that our own Argillae.

There is an awful lot of mediocre Orvieto but Giulia de Cosimo has devoted both time and money to creating a version worthy of the name.  Sitting northwest of the city and next door to Cervaro della Sala, its fastidiously tended vineyards soak up the Umbrian sun and provide the raw material for a classy range of Umbrian whites.