In October, we went to Umbria, Italy to visit a friend who has retired there, in a small town called Penna in Teverina, about a 30-minute high speed train ride north of Rome. While we were in Italy, the olive harvest was going on. We had olive oil made the same day the olives had been harvested from the trees and pressed. Delicious and so green!

In addition to the olive trees everywhere, there were also vineyards, of course! The closest winery to Penna is in the neighboring town of Giove (meaning Jupiter). Azienda Agricola Le Crete has about 6 hectares of vineyards, lying in a microclimate of the Tiber Valley, and producing about 50,000 bottles per year. They cultivate local varietals, such as Sangiovese and Trebbiano, as well as international varietals such as Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, so their wines are all IGT rather than DOC. We stopped by on a Monday morning, and interrupted the owner and winemaker, Giuliano Castellani, for a tasting, while he was pressing grapes from this year’s harvest.

After a short tour of the “factory,” Giuliano poured us a glass of his rosé wine directly from a stainless- steel tank. If you’ve ever had “new wine” that isn’t done fermenting, you know how alive with natural carbonation it is while the yeast is working away. The rosé tasted like strawberry-lemon soda now, but in a few weeks, I’m sure it will be a perfect summer rosé. We next stopped in the barrel room, before ascending stairs to the tasting room.

We sat in the tasting room’s courtyard, enjoying the sunny fall day, and several other bottles he opened for us. The first was his sparkling wine, an Extra Dry Vino Spumante Millesimato. This was his version of a blanc de noir, being Sangiovese grapes made into a white wine. We enjoyed full glasses of the delightful sparkling wine, while he assisted other customers. 12% ABV; €9.50.

The second bottle he opened was their most popular white table wine, Cima del Giglio Linea Oro IGT, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasia. The wine opened with notes of citrus and herbs on the nose, and flavors of peach and apricot on the palate, with stony minerality on the finish. We drank several bottles of this wine throughout the week, which paired so well with the lemony pasta our host prepared for us. 14% ABV; €12.50.

The third bottle he opened was their most popular red table wine, Petranera Linea ORO IGT Umbria Rosso, a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, Montepulciano and Barbera. On the nose, notes of black cherry and plum. On the palate, flavors of black fruits with a full-bodied, smooth mouthfeel and long finish. This wine pairs well with the wild boar and venison of the area, as well as red sauces. 14.5% ABV; €12.50.

The bottles are a little tall for my wine suitcase, but I managed. If you are ever in southern Umbria, I highly recommend a stop at Le Crete! Saluti!