Origins, history and legend of a wine whose history is closely tied to Umbria and the Papal State: Sagrantino.

We are in front of one of the oldest vines in the world, History and Legend that materialize through a vine. We are in Umbria, the green heart of Italy and a spiritual and mysterious region at the same time, which is considered by Tibetans "a center of energy" and which has always been a favorite and in a certain sense obligatory destination for travelers and pilgrims. Sagrantino is a vine from which the wine of the same name is produced , which has been cultivated for centuries on the first hilly foothills of the Umbria region : it is also notoriously a land of saints and here were born Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy and Saint Benedict of Norcia, patron saint of Europe and of Saint Rita of Cascia, a town in Valnerina located in the province of Perugia.

Sagrantino between spirituality and history

The history of Umbria is closely tied to the existence of the Papal State and this also concerns Sagrantino wine, which was considered one of the best wines produced under the Papal State and which graced the tables of both the popes and the Roman nobility.

We also find Sagrantino mentioned in sacred texts as it was the first wine (in the passito version) to have ever been used to serve a mass : the name derives from the term “sagratus” (which later became “sagrato” in the present day) which was used in ancient times to describe the marble “basement” on which the priest stood to address the faithful, underlining the value of this wine which began to be marketed in the Middle Ages.

It is interesting to note how Pliny the Elder, in his “Naturalis Historia”, refers to a typical vine of the area that today corresponds to Umbria, with the name “Itriola” grape which according to others would be the ancient name of Sagrantino or in any case an ancestor of it.

From then on, a long silence, at least on the basis of the studies carried out, until the year one thousand: from this moment, through increasingly detailed documentation, the economic and social importance of the vine and wine begins to be increasingly evident.

The DOC

Taking a leap forward in time and arriving in 1979, Sagrantino became DOC and in 1992 obtained its own specification by acquiring the DOCG mark, both for the dry and the passito, in reference to a pure wine whose grapes must be grown exclusively in the areas of Montefalco and in the municipalities of Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi and Giano dell'Umbria. The 2002 decree of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies then further limited the use of the name Sagrantino solely to the Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG in the dry or passito version.

Organoleptic characteristics

Leaving aside the interesting sacral-historical aspect of this very ancient nectar and moving instead to its organoleptic characteristics, it should be highlighted that the wine obtained from this vine is very well known in the world on the one hand, thanks to its great intensity, concentration and capacity for aging, on the other, thanks to the high healthy polyphenolic content present on the outside of its peel.

Studies carried out over the years have highlighted that the number of polyphenols (powerful anti-radical and antioxidants) present in Sagrantino is approximately 33 times greater than in any red grape in the world!

The origin of Sagrantino

Sagrantino is also considered an indigenous vine despite the hypotheses and conjectures that are made about its true origin. There are different schools of thought on this subject: some believe that it was imported by the first Franciscan friars, others instead think, and this is the most accredited hypothesis, that Sagrantino is originally from Greece and imported into Italy by Byzantine monks.

This grape is also one of the most tannic varieties in the world and gives rise to a purple-black wine, with a bouquet characterized by an aroma of red fruits, cinnamon and earth. Its fascinating and ancient origins, together with its aromas that smack of liquid cultural charm, make this wine one of the most significant Italian oenological creations and this study wants to pay homage to the high quality that it achieves through the meticulous work of the producers in the areas designated for its creation, but above all it wants to celebrate a product whose sacredness has been revealed by History and the discoveries that have come to light over the years, in the hope that its sip can make you experience, thanks to the knowledge of its origin, that extra emotion that smacks of legend and tradition. And that smacks, indeed, of the sacred.

Written by Carlo Attisano for mangiaebevi.it