Before I even visited Terre Margaritelli I’d become acquainted with their wine just by checking into my room at the Hotel Gio where I was assigned one of the signature wine rooms, a room that is designed and decorated by one of the local winemakers, and mine was, you guessed it… the Terre Margaritelli room.
There I was surrounded by the Terre Margaritelli vineyard in the form of a huge wall mural, as well as a desk and table made of wine barrel staves. On the table was a bottle of Mirantico, two glasses and a Terre Margaritelli corkscrew. It was just too enticing to ignore and low and behold, the bottle practically opened itself! I mean that’s the point of these wine theme rooms…you are immersed in an environment designed by the winery, so sampling the wine is almost required…at least that’s my excuse. The Mirantico--a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Merlot, and Cabernet had a lovely aroma of violets and roses with great structure and lovely long finish. I’m glad I tried it and even happier that I got to meet the man who designed the room at the Terre Margaritelli winery the following night.
Federico Bibi, Sales and Marketing Director of Terre Margaritelli Winery and his wife Jennifer McIlvain turned a cold and blustery night into a warm and welcoming evening of food, friendship and most of all fabulous wines. While half of our group was in the kitchen with Jennifer learning how to make gnocchi, the rest of us chatted with Federico about everything from the design theory behind the labels, to the history of the Margaritelli family land, and the organic winemaking process. You can watch a video slideshow of how the evening unfolded here, or at the bottom of this post.
I really enjoyed these wines and especially appreciated the opportunity to compare the differences in the Mirantico red blend poured from the 750 ml bottle and from the magnum. I normally don’t buy magnums but this was surely an object lesson as to why I should. The wine showed characteristics many levels beyond that in the standard size bottle, a fuller, richer palate refined and complex at the same time.
That night, back in my Terre Margaritelli room, I reached up to turn off my lamp made from bottle of Greco di Renabianca Grechetto, and I felt even more connected to a special winery that may very well have been my favorite in all of Umbria. Before checking out the next day I bought a bottle of the Mirantico from the Hotel Gio wine shop to ensure a taste of Umbria upon my return home.
When your travels bring you to Umbria (and they should!) make plans to visit Terre Margaritelli just outside Perugia in Torgiano. And for a complete “eno-gastronmical” experience contact Jennifer at Life…Italian Style for cooking classes and an insider peek into the savory flavors and unhurried nature of the Umbrian lifestyle.
Links to all Posts in this Series:
That was a great series of wines in Italy. It's really shown in this video that you had fun guys at this event.
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