North of Orvieto, on the crest of the hills at an altitude of 450 metres, lies the Tenuta Vitalonga. Surrounded by magnificent forests and gorges, this is one of the most beautiful areas of the wine region in the western part of Umbria. The village of Ficulle is the home of this enchanting estate. The very name “Vitalonga” lovingly describes the close relationship between people and nature.
In earlier decades, at the first wine tasting in autumn, the farmers wished for a long life, which in Italian is “vita lunga”. Indeed, the family has always had a lively relationship with nature. Agriculture was passed down from generation to generation. The wine grown here contains, on the one hand, decades of experience, and on the other hand, modern knowledge of the natural cultivation of vines. In this spirit, environmental awareness and responsibility for the land are naturally close to the family’s heart.
A piece of history:
Since the 1960s, only red wine was produced at the Vitalonga estate. This changed in the year 2000, when the Maravalle family decided to also produce white wine and a rosé wine. This first delicious vintage appeared in 2004 and delighted wine connoisseurs from the very first bottle.
The estate is divided into the vineyards “Poggio”, “Montiano”, “Laghetto” and “Noce”. The soils here on the western side are clayey-sandy, while the vineyards “Cipresso”, “Maria” and “Elcione” contain a far higher proportion of sand. Here, very characteristically for the Umbria region, one finds fossil elements such as shells and thus also a high mineral content. They give the wine of the Tenuta Vitalonga a clearly recognisable tendency of mineral origin. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet are grown with a density of 5,400 vines per hectare.
More info about the Vitalonga estate can be found on this website!
For an overview of the wines of Vitalonga, please click here!