Whilst Tuscan wines are already very well known around the world, the wines of Umbria have just come to wine lovers attention in the last years, even though the wines in this region, as in the majority of Italian regions, have been made for centuries and are intertwined with its history and its culture.Umbria, which is located at the heart of Italy, bordering with Tuscany, Lazio and Marche, is characterised by mountains and hills with soil highly suitable for the wine and extra virgin olive oil production.The most popular wine, which is also the name of its native grape, is"Sagrantino". It is said that this grape was brought here from the Franciscan monks coming from the Asia Minor in the Medieval period. In the past, the monks used to make a sweet wine, leaving the grape to dry for some months.Nowadays their is both a dry and sweet version of the Sagrantino wine and it is aged for at least 30 months before being put on sale. The dryMontefalco Sagrantino DOCG has a deep red colour with aromas of black fruit (especially blackberries) and spices, in the mouth it is possible to enjoy it's powerful body.The Sagrantino grape is produced in the Montefalco area, where it also makes theMontefalco Rosso DOC, which is made with a blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino. Another wine from Umbria, which has to be mentioned, is theTorgiano Riserva DOCG, which is made with Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Trebbiano Toscano grapes and aged in wood for at least three years.While the two beautiful medieval villages of Montefalco and Torgiano (which boasts an interesting Wine Museum) have now become famous as a result of the wines produced in the surrounding countryside, Orvieto has always been a cultural highlight and it's white wines have always been appreciated as a pleasant wine to drink. Le Baccanti offers wine tours to discover the wines of Umbria, so please enquire if you are interested.