Stevie Kim visits Argillae, the Bonollo family estate

With a reference to Latinity, Argillae already enhances from the name the territory on which its grapes grow, divided between local varieties and some international representatives. In the company of Giulia Di Cosimo, owner of the company and vice-president of the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Orvieto, we get to know the winery's flagship wines more closely, starting with Grechetto.

Grechetto is perhaps the most important white grape in the whole of Umbria. It is also one of the most common, reaching as far as Lazio; of the seven labels available in our production, we will taste Grechetto, Panata and Primo d'Anfora, for their representation within the brand. The focus of our winery is in fact to promote mainly white wines, which constitute 90% of our production.

Wait a second: on the table, we see a beautiful sample of terroir on display, but this is not simple clay.

That's right, there are shells and fossils inside: they represent the mineral notes that contribute to the wine's flavor. Returning to Grechetto, we have two varieties, Grechetto di Todi and Grechetto di Orvieto, with which we create our blend. What we have in the glass is a 2021 Grechetto, the last available vintage: it was made entirely in steel containers, without passages in barrels. It has a very characteristic and unmistakable almond aftertaste, which testifies to its tannic part; it is as if this wine had the soul of a red wine!

This also influences the potential it has as a wine in combinations, allowing it to be married even with meat. We produce about 10,000 bottles

The second wine, on the other hand, what characteristics does it have?

Orvieto Classico Superiore Panata derives from four selection processes that reduce the number of bottles we can produce, which is around 6,000. Panata is a blend of Grechetto, Trebbiano and Chardonnay, with fermentation that takes place partly in steel and partly in oak wood; then it remains in the bottle for 12 months. I almost forgot: the vintage is 2020

It is a more complex, versatile wine that goes perfectly with local food, definitely fish dishes. As far as international cuisine is concerned, I would avoid raw fish dishes with a delicate taste, due to the structure of this wine, but I would accompany it with portions of vegetable soup or

The third and last wine in the tasting, on the other hand, is Primo d'Anfora: where does this name come from?

First of all, we must say that Primo d'Amfora is a new project for the winery. It has a particular meaning being completely produced in amphora, in clay, in fact, the first of its kind, so to speak. It is a blend of Grechetto, Drupeggio and Malvasia; the quantity of production is very limited, so much so that each bottle is numbered. That's because we only have three amphorae, so far

We are drinking a glass of 2018, but he is very young, with only four years of maturation he shows how much he can still grow. We think that the minimum aging should be fifteen years, but we do not yet have certain data on this since its production started in 2016

Finally, we remind readers that the Argillae winery is committed to sustainability, ranging from the use of thinner glass to saving water. To listen to other episodes of “The Italian Wine Podcast”, stay with us by following us on Mamma Jumbo Shrimp

Stevie Kim