COUNTRY :
Italy
REGION :
Umbria
PRODUCTION :
25,000 bottles/year
Francesco Annesanti
“I make wines in steel or in amphora. No wood. No compromises. I make 100% Umbrian Barbera (rosé and red but without sulphites!), 100% Pecorino (indigenous to this area), 100% Sangiovese, 100% Grechetto, 100% Trebbiano Spoletino, 100% Pinot Nero, a pet nat made with the refermentation along with the stems, and some old-way rural blends. I only produce a little less than 25,000 bottles.
My goal is to demonstrate the new and unique terroir of Valnerina, through biodynamic farming, like my grandfather taught me when I was a kid. Some of the vines I train are about 50 years old and spectacular to see, some I planted more recently, when I realized that my real ambition in life was winemaking. I’m not a guy who had money from his family and invested in wine for a hobby or second job. Wine is my only occupation. The vineyards are mine and the cellar is a room in my family’s house, my grandfather’s stable.
I have two lines of wine, the classic one and the one made in amphora. Both of them are made in a natural way without additives or clarifications. I work by myself in the vineyard and in the cellar. My wines are literally handmade because they are all harvested by hand in boxes, I punch down the cap using my own hands only while fermenting and I put all the labels with manual labeler. This old fashioned way of a winemaking takes way more time and energy but the result is really worth it. I’m really proud of the fine authentic wines that represent me as a person and the land where I grew up. I will be satisfied when I will be able to make you feel, when you open one of my bottles, the smell of the earth at sunset in spring.”

“Raspato”
Region: Umbria
Grape: Sangiovese, Aleatico
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, silt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: méthode ancestrale
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

“Nasciolo”
Region: Umbria
Grape: Barbera
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, silt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: 30 mg/L

“Ninfa del Nera”
Region: Umbria
Grape: Grechetto, Trebbiano
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, silt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: 30 mg/L

“Sibilino”
Region: Umbria
Grape: Pecorino
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, silt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

“Suppriscola”
Region: Umbria
Grape: Barbera
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, silt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none