The CentumbrieWinery
The Winery
This is where our wines are made and stored. The winemaking practices are primarily manual with the aid of cellar equipment which has been specifically chosen to providing gentle assistance during the entire process.
WE CONSIDER WINE TO BE A PRECIOUS GOOD, THE TRUE TALE OF A TERRITORY AND NOURISHMENT FOR BOTH THE BODY AND SOUL. WE STRIVE TO MAKE GOOD, HEALTHY WINES, RESPECTING NATURE AND ITS PROCESSES SO THAT THEY ARE AN EXPRESSION OF THE VINTAGE, SOIL, HANDS AND LOVING CARE.
The Cm Centumbrie vineyards cover nearly 4 hectares and consist primarily of recuperated vines, which, while of different varieties, are all native to the area. Approximately 30 percent of the vines are new plantings. Our vineyards are dotted throughout the hills surrounding Lake Trasimeno, at an altitude ranging from 250 to 400 meters, where the soil is mostly clay. Agricultural practices follow the dictates of organic farming, respect for the land and common sense. Any interventions are mostly sulfur and/or copper based, kept to a minimum and managed wisely. The vines are trained using the guyot and spurred cordon systems primarily. Harvesting and fruit selection are done manually and the winemaking process is artisanal, without the use of chemical additives. We produce natural wines using spontaneous fermentation and indigenous yeasts. We do not add sulfur to our wines nor use temperature control. We love substance of the raw material which is why we do not filter our wines.
"The idea is to create wines that resemble their place of origin and find an important fit with the food. The wines tell the story of a territory that is profound and complex but never edgy. They are not big-city wines; rather they reflect the countryside, farming and hard work. There is in them the importance of dignity. They are not the whimsical wines of a Parisian bistro. That is not that kind of story they try to tell, but rather a memory of peasant table wine, good, full, sincere and nuanced like the land they come from."
THE “PERDO LA TESTA” WINES FROM CM CENTUMBRIE’S LIBERA LEPRE WINERY
The land our winery sits on was once a farm where hare were raised. As soon as we purchased it, we let all the caged animals loose and renamed the place Podere Libera Lepre (The Free Hare Estate).
Wine production began with the desire to make a small batch of sweet wine for the company. The lush fruit on the vines, the passion for wine, the impatient wait to taste the Vin Santo (which is still aging), and the esteem for the winemaker who guides us along this path prompted us to make other wines as well. At our very first tasting, the wines immediately made us "lose our minds". Hence the name on the labels: Perdo la Testa.
PERDO LA TESTA SPARKLING WHITE
Trebbiano, Malvasia and Garganega
The ancestral bubbles in this wine come from grapes that have been de-stemmed, crushed and placed in a vertical press without contact with the skins. After the must is inoculated in the spring, the wine is immediately bottled. This is one of our bottle-fermented wines, created with the idea of offering a flavorful, lively wine for easy, carefree drinking. Typical of this kind of wine, there is an inevitable tangy aftertaste, but it is well managed by the sapidity of the grapes from this Umbrian land of ours. It pairs well with simple meals that are not too elaborate.
PERDO LA TESTA STILL WHITE
Grechetto with a touch of Malvasia
A barrel-fermented Grechetto. Whole bunches of grapes are placed in open-vat, 500-liter tonneaux where alcoholic fermentation begins. At the end of the process, they are pressed and aged in stainless steel tanks. An "experimental" wine that aims to express the full potential of Grechetto, the most widespread and important white grape variety in our region. The result is a serious wine that is clean, decisive and flavorful yet still has a very Umbrian, earthy and iodized character. Fermentation in wood makes it non-trivial in pairings. In Italian, it is characterized as “a courtyard wine”, where the courtyard is the area on a farm where chickens, rabbits, pigs (i.e., farmyard animals) are left to roam around during the day, scrummaging for food. These animals all have white meat. Therefore, a “courtyard wine”, like Grechetto, is one that pairs particularly well with white meats. It also marries well with textures such as those characteristic of lake fish.
PERDO LA TESTA ROSÉ
Merlot and Cabernet
Grapes are crushed and destemmed—without coming into contact with the skins—then put directly into fermentation. It is a very technical wine as it requires white vinification of our red grape varieties. It stems from the desire to enhance the light characteristics found in the juice of the fruits that come from a "hot" land. This project goes against current trends and seeks to naturally produce a tasty, pleasant wine using varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet. The wine is sharp and dry on the palate yet lingering, thanks to the fairly late-harvest Merlot. It is aged in steel and is suitable for a wide variety of meals.
PERDO LA TESTA SPARKLING ROSÉ
Merlot, Cabernet, Trebbiano and Malvasia
Re-fermented in the bottle using the age-old method without disgorging. Red and white grapes are vinified and processed separately then combined in winter for a second fermentation in the bottle. It is an easy, sipping wine—tasty and light but with good body attributed to the red grapes. Excellent with light dishes it also stands up well to the fuller taste of some cheeses and cured meats, thanks to its Umbrian character. This wine pairs well with vegetables and with fatty yet delicate textures such as lake fish.
PERDO LA TESTA RED
Sangiovese with a touch of Merlot
Grapes are processed by the bunch, gently stomped on then placed in vats and fermented until all the sugars have been consumed. Once fermentation is finished, the liquid and solids are pressed with a vertical press and aged in stainless steel tanks until bottling time. This wine is simply meant to be a local red. The Sangiovese/Merlot blend is characteristic of our area. Indeed, Sangiovese has always been blended with Merlot to soften the otherwise skeletal and nervous framework. Typical of this variety, it does not have a particularly fragrant bouquet, but to the taste, it explodes into a crisp, flavorful, soft wine, thanks to the fermentation of whole bunches. It is a fuss-free, local red wine made simply to be enjoyed—especially when paired with another Umbrian speciality: pork.
