Umbria

In the hills of Umbria, not far from the Tuscan border, organic wine and oil estate for sale. The property includes 4.5 ha of IGT vineyards (with a production potential of 95,000 bottles of wine per year), 878 olive trees and a wood with 2.0 ha of truffle ground. In terms of buildings, we find the business center (700 sqm) and a farmhouse to be renovated (480 m²), as well as a project for the construction of a wine cellar.

EXTERIORS AND PRODUCTIONS

The estate covers, in its entirety, roughly 45.4 hectares (112.2 acres) of land.

The vineyards (5.4 ha) were planted in three separate phases, in 2007, 2010 and 2017, and are made up of Chardonnay (32%), Pinot Noir (23%), Syrah (22%), Friulano (14%) and Viognier (9%) varieties. The soils in which the vines are planted are very diverse, ranging from sandy (Syrah) to sand with a lot of skeleton (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) and very compact clay (Chardonnay, Friulano). The important factor, shared by all the soils, is the large presence of limestone, which gives the products an important minerality. The orientation of the vineyards is west/south-west with excellent exposure to sunlight and a strong day/night temperature range.

The winery produces at the moment four wines, all mono-varietals:

• Umbria Rosso IGT: Syrah 100% (up to 3,660 bottles)
• Umbria Rosso IGT: Pinot Nero 100% (up to 3,000 bottles)
• Umbria Bianco IGT: Friulano 100% (up to 4,500 bottles)
• Umbria Bianco IGT: Chardonnay 100% (up to 3,500 bottles)

To preserve the quality of the wines produced, the company has set a yield limit of 8 tons of grapes per hectare, but the regulations for Umbria IGT wines allow much higher yields (14 tons for Syrah and Pinot Noir, 16 tons for Chardonnay and 18 tons for Friulano).

The farm also has an olive grove (2.0 ha) with 828 trees planted between 2007 and 2010. The varieties are those allowed by the Umbria Colli del Trasimeno DOC specification: Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiola, Pendolino (in small part) and Dolce Agogia.

The entire company operates under a voluntary integrated farming regime, following strict regional specifications. Treatments consist of mixtures of copper and sulphur (according to formulations with almost zero residue) and herbicides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed under any circumstances. Again, treatments are only carried out in the presence of a high risk of disease, indicated by agrometeorological stations installed in the soil.

Most of the farm (approximately 28.0 ha) is covered by mixed forests. Between 2008 and 2010, two truffle groves (about 1.8 ha in total) were planted with 160 mycorrhized oaks. In addition to the cultivation of vines and olive trees, the area is also highly devoted to truffle production, with a particular focus on white truffle (Tuber magnatum), black truffle (Tuber melanosporum), summer black truffle (Tuber aestivum), brumale truffle (Tuber brumale) and bianchetto truffle (Tuber albidum).

Finally, there are some areas of unused land (about 9.6 ha) used for arable land and pastures but very suitable for planting new vineyards (about 3.0 ha).

In a very panoramic position in the heart of Umbria, roughly 20 minutes from Gualdo Cattaneo and Montefalco, restored country house with guest apartments and winery. The property includes 38.2 hectares of land with 1.2 ha of vineyards (Sagrantino DOCG and Rosso di Montefalco DOC) and 2.7 ha of olive grove (850 trees).

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINGS

The main farmhouse (358 m² – 3,852 ft²), currently the owners’ house, is laid over two floors:

• Ground floor: kitchen, dining room, TV room, sitting room, bedroom and bathroom;
• First floor: billiard room, four bedrooms (one of which the tower) and two bathrooms;
• Apt. N°1: living room with dining area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

Next to the farmhouse there is the guesthouse (200 m² – 2,152 ft²) that includes the wine cellar and two more apartments, composed as follows.

• Apt. N°2: living room with dining room and kitchen, two bedrooms and bathroom;
• Apt. N°3: living room with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

All the buildings have been recently restored and are in excellent condition. The stone farmhouse features terracotta floors, ceilings with wooden beams and terracotta tiles.

In front of the farmhouse there is a common room (56 m² – 602 ft²) with kitchen, sitting room and half bath. The other building (186 m² – 2,001 ft²) is used as tools and machinery shed (basement floor) and storage room with laundry room (ground floor). 

EXTERIOR

The property is completed by 38.2 hectares of land with 1.2 ha of vineyards (Sagrantino DOCG and Rosso di Montefalco DOC), 2.7 ha of olive grove (about 850 trees), 18.8 ha of woodland and 15.5 ha of arable land.

The vineyard (with varieties Trebbiano, Sagrantino, Sangiovese and Merlot) can produce up to 8,000 bottles of wine per year, split into Umbria Bianco IGP (250 bottles), Rosso di Montefalco DOC (6,900 bottles) and Sangrantino di Montefalco Secco DOCG (850 bottles).

Next to the farmhouse there is the wonderful pool (10 × 5 m) with Roman steps and solarium.

USE AND POTENTIAL USES

This estate is an excellent investment since the olive oil DOP and the wines produced in this property are very good; moreover, its wines have been mentioned in two important wine guidebooks for two years.

Given its size and its features, the property can be used either as private home or as a tourist accommodation. 

In the hills of Umbria, not far from the medieval town of Orvieto, wine cellar in excellent condition with potential for more than 9,000,000 bottles of wine / year for sale. Built between 2008 and 2010 in reinforced concrete and with a project designed to ensure maximum production efficiency, the winery is not currently operational but could easily serve as a cantina sociale (winemaking cooperative) due to the large production volume achievable.

EXTERIORS

In total, the property covers about 7.0 hectares (17.3 acres) of land. The winery is surrounded by a large 12,000 m² gravel plaza that is used for maneuvering vehicles during loading and unloading operations. On the west side of the winery, a second apron (800 m²) gives access to all the basement rooms of the facility, facilitating product transport operations.

Above the winery are then a small vineyard (about 4,500 m²), a plot of woodland (about 4.0 ha) and unused land (about 1.2 ha).

THE NEIGHBORING VINEYARDS

There is the possibility of buying the adjacent property (24.2 hectares), located on the southeast side of the property and covered for more than half by vineyards.

• Vineyards surface: 14.8 hectares (Umbria IGT)
• Varieties: Barbera (29%), Pinot Bianco (20%), Vermentino (20%), Pinot Gris (17%), Viognier (14%)
• Altitude and exposure: 340 - 400 m asl (northeast)
• Production potential: up to 2,068 hl (≈ 275,000 bottles) / year

Just a stone's throw from Lake Trasimeno, wine estate of 11.3 hectares for sale. The property includes a charming accommodation business with restaurant and wellness area, a wine cellar and a project for the construction of a further 1,100 sqm of buildings. 

The vineyards (8.1 hectares), created since 2000, are registered as Trasimeno DOC and Umbria IGT. The vineyard area is destined for the cultivation of various selected clones of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (2.5 ha), Sangiovese (2.6 ha), Chardonnay (1.5 ha) and Pinot Blanc, Tocai Friulano and Sauvignon Blanc (1.5 ha).

Production is currently limited (by choice) to approximately 10,000 bottles of wine per year, but the upper limit is set to approximatley 140,000 bottles if production is limited to Umbria IGT wines.

The company produces the following wines:

• Umbria Rosso IGT: Merlot 85%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%.
• Umbria Rosso IGT: Sangiovese 90%, Merlot 10%.
• Umbria Bianco IGT: 100% Chardonnay
• Umbria Bianco IGT: Pinot Bianco 85%, Tocai Friulano 10%, Sauvignon Blanc 5%
• Umbria Rosso IGT: Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Malvasia Nera 45%
• Umbria Rosé IGT: Sangiovese 55%, Ciliegiolo 45%

The land not planted with vineyards (approx. 3.2 ha), is an asset of the estate and an integral part of the receptive activity, as is the large park bordering the farmhouses.

The property covers approximately 15.6 hectares (38.5 acres) of land, split among woodland (5.3 ha), arable land (5.7 ha) and vineyards (4.5 ha). The latter are divided between two poderi: the first one close to the cellar, the other just 15-minute drive away. These vineyards, subject to the approval of the competent authorities, could be partly registered as Orvieto DOC, while part of the arable land could be used to plant new vines.

The wood is mainly made up of coppice Turkey oaks, and its value derives from the fact that it is included in the regional truffle map which means that it can be partially fenced (up to 3 ha) to be used as truffle harvesting ground.

The cellar is no longer in business since 2017 - 2018: the vineyards are pretty old (some of them dating back to the 1970s) and need replanting to bring the production back to regime. When operational, the winery produced the following IGT wines:

• Umbria Rosso IGT: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Umbria Rosso IGT: 100% Sangiovese
• Umbria Rosso IGT: Sangiovese 40%, Merlot 40%, Ciliegiolo 10%, Canaiolo 10%
• Umbria Bianco IGT: 60% Verdicchio, 40% Grechetto di Todi

The wine cellar (360 m² – 3,874 ft²) is located at the center of the property and is made of a two-story building with insulated masonry and colored plastered walls. The building is realized in reinforced concrete with pitched (30°) roof. The building complies with all the criteria imposed for the construction of a cellar, and is thus free on three of its sides while being partially underground on the fourth so to have a sufficient thermal insulation for the ageing process.

The ground floor is split into two areas: the bigger one is the one where grapes are unloaded, processed and the wine aged and bottled; the smaller one instead includes the office for the business. The first floor, partially without tiling but already equipped with plumbing and electrical system, houses a temporary storage room capable of holding up to 20,000 bottles (150 hl). Given the presence of systems and the non-trivial surface of the upper floor, one could also convert it either into a small private home or into a tasting room with administrative offices on the side.

The property spans 25.8 hectares, split among olive grove (18.0 ha), vineyards (1.2 ha), arable land (3.3 ha) and mixed woodland (3.3 ha). Currently, the olive groves are the only part of the property that is managed directly by the owners, the remaining crops are tended to by a third party.

As for the vineyard, the company no longer produces wine. In the past, in a good vintage, production could reach 15,000 bottles of wine per year (10,000 red + 5,000 white) from Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Olive trees in the property (approx. 8,000 trees in total) are split between two different poderi (18.0 ha in total). Production is constantly increasing since the most recent implants (2012) are not fully productive yet (they are expected to reach this stage around 2027). Implants of Podere A (15 ha, the most recent) are fitted with an irrigation system (root and foliage) and are already compatible with mechanic harvest. Furthermore, groves are divided by cultivar so that each variety can be harvested at the peak of maturation (veraison). It is important to note that the company is run with organic methods, in full respect of nature.

Particularly interesting is that part of the olive grove (roughly 3.0 ha) planted in collaboration with the University of Perugia, the Istituto di Bioscienza e Biorisorse, the Parco Tecnologico Agroalimentare dell’Umbria e l’Istituto di Ricerca per la protezione Idrogeologica to try and relaunch local varieties of olives (in this case, Borgiona and Gentile di Anghiari).

• Podere A (15.0 ha) boasts trees planted between 1993 and 2012 of the following cultivars: Frantoio (50%), Moraiolo (23%), Borgiona (10%), Gentile di Anghiari (8%), Dolce Agogia (5%), Leccino (3%) and Pendolino (1%). Altitude ranges between 300 and 500 m, with southwestern exposure.
• Podere B (3.0 ha) boasts centuries-old trees of Moraiolo, Frantoio, Leccino and Ragiale planted at an altitude ranging between 250 and 300 m, with southwestern exposure.

Yearly production currently ranges around 8.0 tons of olive oil, but will increase up to 18 tons as more and more younger trees reach maturity.

Produced olive oils have been awarded over the years several prizes. The most recent ones, year 2019, came from Slow Food Italia (with two distinct olive oils were awarded a quality certificate) and from the participation to the Japan Olive Oil Prize 2019, where the estate was awarded a silver medal over 242 other producers. What’s more, the oil is much appreciated in the area and can be easily found in many restaurants that purchases it directly from the company.

Speaking of prices, the oil is sold at a minimum of € 30.00 / lt, up to € 60.00 / lt for the most interesting oils, which means Borgiona, Gentile di Anghiari and a special blend (aptly named Apicale) that is made from olives harvested from the highest branches of the trees, where they are exposed to the sun for most of their lives, becoming rich in chlorophyll and flavor.