Orvieto (Umbria / Lazio) DOC
One of Italy's oldest named whites, grown on the volcanic tufa plateau around the cathedral city, and long sold as a cheap semi-sweet before the dry secco style took over. Modern Orvieto is Grechetto-led, pale, medium bodied, with green apple, pear, chamomile, almond and a mineral, faintly bitter finish; superiore versions from Decugnano dei Barbi, Barberani and Antinori's Castello della Sala add weight and a flinty edge. The zone's foggy lakeside vineyards also grow botrytis, and Barberani's Calcaia and Decugnano's Pourriture Noble are Italy's rare noble-rot sweet wines. Cheap Orvieto is dull; good Orvieto is one of central Italy's best whites.
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| Producer | Wine | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruffino | Orvieto Classico The supermarket standard, light, clean, apple and almond; the everyday bottle. | $9 to $12 | Wine-Searcher |
| Antinori (Castello della Sala) | Orvieto Classico Superiore San Giovanni della Sala Grechetto-led with Procanico and Viognier, more texture and stone fruit; from the estate that also makes Cervaro. | $18 to $22 | Wine-Searcher |
| Barberani | Orvieto Classico Superiore Muffa Nobile Calcaia Botrytised Grechetto from the Lake Corbara fog belt, apricot, honey and saffron with bright acid; Italy's closest thing to Sauternes. | $40 to $50 | Wine-Searcher |