The history of wine in Umbria, as well as the one in Italy, would not be same without the fundamental and tenacious contribution of one of the great names of wine of the green heart of Italy, indisputable patriarch of the recent development of wine making in Umbria and its success in the world: Giorgio Lungarotti. Umbria and its wines have today walked a long way, a journey which was probably unimaginable 40 years ago, which had among its protagonists a name in particular, one of the many pioneers who in the 1960s had the dream of making the wine of their lands great and to believe in the potentialities of their history and traditions. Giorgio Lungarotti was one of them, a man who had a strong passion for his land and for his region, who believed in the small green heart of Italy - Umbria - was possible to make great wines. All began in 1962 in Torgiano - today one of the most important places of excellence in Umbria for wine making - walking a way which will allow the pleasant Umbrian town to be recognized, in 1968 and among the first ones in Italy, the Denominazione d'Origine Controllata status (DOC, Denomination of Controlled Origin).

	Giorgio Lungarotti Winery

 Among the protagonists of that first and important success, Rubesco - the historical Torgiano Rosso DOC red wine - which since 40 years still distinguishes Lungarotti winery in the world and one of the most famous Umbrian wines, to which side there is also the prestigious Torgiano Rosso Riserva Rubesco Vigna Monticchio red wine. In 1999, when Giorgio Lungarotti passed away, the management of the winery passed in the hands of his daughters, Chiara Lungarotti and Teresa Severini sisters, who together with Giorgio Lungarotti's wife, Mrs. Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti, will start the new style of the winery, a management system completely run by women. Thanks to the teachings and the passion of the father Giorgio, Chiara Lungarotti and Teresa Severini continue today, with passion and determination, the history of this important Umbrian winery. New wines have been introduced - many of them are in fact the result of the intuition and the work of Teresa Severini - which completes the range of the historical wines of the winery, the robust red San Giorgio Rosso and the prestigious Torgiano Rosso Riserva Rubesco Vigna Monticchio.

 Two new wines characterizing the recent history of Lungarotti winery are in fact the result of the work of Teresa Severini, one of the first women wine makers in Italy and one of the founders of “Donne del Vino” association (Women of Wine). Aurente, an excellent white wine - a blend of Chardonnay and the local Grechetto - and Giubilante, an interesting red wine created by blending Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah whose label was created by painter Piero Dorazio. These wines are now supported by the results of the Lungarotti winery's vineyards planted in the other great wine land of Umbria - Montefalco - famous in the world for its Sagrantino. This year has been in fact released in the market for the first time Lungarotti winery's Sagrantino di Montefalco, 5400 bottles of vintage 2003, an interesting result offering good hopes for future vintages, according to the premises, this wine will capable of giving wonderful emotions and satisfactions to the palates of wine lovers.

A management run by women: from left to right, Chiara Lungarotti, Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti and Teresa Severini

 Chiara Lungarotti - recently elected president of Movimento Turismo del Vino - is the managing director of the winery. Thanks to her passion and competence in agricultural and wine making matters, she introduced modern and innovative systems to the vineyards and to the cellar, while paying attention to keep the balance between family traditions and the experimentation and innovative wine making models. Thanks to the cultural and artistic competence and sensibility of Mrs. Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti, was established the Lungarotti Foundation, an important link between the world of art and wine of this family. Thanks to the work of Mrs. Maria Grazia Marchetti Lungarotti were also established the wine museum and the oil museum, two important and extraordinary witnesses of the culture and history of these two important products belonging to the Umbrian and Italian traditions. The museums, also thanks to the extraordinary historical findings which are kept here, are today two cultural sites of national importance and famous all over the world.

 The vineyards of Lungarotti winery are planted in the wine area of Torgiano, to which have recently added the ones in Montefalco. The vineyards in Torgiano are planted in hilly lands. The grapes used for the production of red reserve wines and the most prestigious whites come from vineyards planted at altitudes from 270 and 300 meters (880-985 feet), whereas the grapes used for the production of young and crisp wines come from vineyards planted in the Tiber valley, at altitudes from 170 and 200 meters (550-655 feet). Lungarotti winery's vineyards are cultivated in respect to nature and according to eco-compatible principles, however using - when necessary - modern viticultural technologies. Including the interesting system for meteorological control provided by five specific stations placed in the vineyards and which provide precious information about the local conditions, therefore allowing a proper planning of practices according to the meteorological conditions, ensuring a better agricultural management while limiting to the minimum antiparasite interventions.

 In the cellar are also found the most innovative wine making technologies and, despite there also are oak barriques, the Lungarotti style has always preferred the use of large French oak casks, in particular, for wines produced with Sangiovese grape. In the caves used for aging wines, there are also found suggestive rows of pupitres used for the production of the classic method sparkling wine Lungarotti Brut. A characteristic which has always distinguished Lungarotti reserves, is the long aging in bottle, today however reduced to five years. Of remarkable competence is the team of wine makers who bring Lungarotti wines to life. Besides Teresa Severini, the team of wine makers at Lungarotti is supported by the work of Vincenzo Pepe as well as two external consultants of great prestige, Lorenzo Landi and Denis Dubourdieu, wine maker and researcher of worldwide fame, as well as professor of enology in the prestigious faculty of enology at the University of Bordeaux.

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