PERTICAIA UMBRIA, ITALY

Veteran agronomist, Guido Guardigli worked as a consultant for many wineries throughout Italy in his career. In 2000, after his retirement, Guardigli bought an estate of his own, located in Casale, not far from Montefalco. After having bought the lands, the substantial work of planting new vineyards began and the construction of a modern cellar, in balance with the surrounding environment that maintained the appearance of the old farms in the area. Perticaia is the word for plow in Umbria’s dialect (it is aratro in Italian) the instrument that, more than any other, marks the transition from sheep farming to agriculture. Perticai is at the center of green Umbria, among the hills cultivated with olive groves & vineyards, surrounded by medieval towers, villages & castles. Guido works there with Alessandro Meniconi, a native son and an energetic young winemaker.