Umbria Time

Led by a group of notable winemakers, Tuscany's lesser-known neighbor is stirring up a scene in the heart of Italy

Robert Camuto

From the Oct 31, 2014, issue

With its perched medieval towns and its rolling hills covered with olive groves and vineyards, central Italy's Umbria can look like a twin of its northwestern neighbor, Tuscany. But there is no Florence here, no cultural icons to rival Michelangelo's David or Brunelleschi's Duomo. And Umbrian wines have yet to achieve the stature of Brunello or Chianti. For wine lovers, though, Umbria's obscurity can be a good thing. The region, nicknamed "Italy's green heart" more than a century ago by Tuscany's Nobel Prize winning poet Giosuè Carducci is a bonanza of exciting diversity and excellent value. Wine Spectator's Robert Camuto explains.

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