Lungarotti is a family-owned estate winery in Umbria founded in 1960 by the late Giorgio Lungarotti, a pioneer of modern Italian enology who put Umbria on the world map in the 1960’s. The company is now run by his daughters Chiara Lungarotti and Teresa Severini. Wines are made under the Torgiano DOC and the Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG. 

Giorgio Lungarotti: Giorgio Lungarotti was the son of land-owners. After his Agricultural studies at the University of Perugia, he worked alongside his father in managing the family estate, experimenting in the sectors of viticulture, olive-growing, fruit orchards, tree cultivation, and cattle and swine husbandry. In the 1950s he managed the delicate passage from share-cropping to direct management of the family company, gradually moving away from mixed crops to specialize in viticulture, a choice which later resulted in the opening of Cantine Lungarotti Winery. In 1968 Torgiano received the DOC appellation for its Rosso and Bianco wines, the first of these prestigious appellations to be awarded to Umbria’s wine production; in 1990 the DOCG was granted to Rosso Riserva (with retroactive recognition to the 1983 vintage). With the collaboration and curatorship of his wife, art historian Maria Grazia Marchetti, he founded the Wine Museum of Torgiano (MUVIT) and the Olive and Oil Museum (MOO) in Torgiano, as well as the Lungarotti Foundation (1987) all of which are aimed at highlighting the great cultural heritage associated with agriculture in Italy, through activities of research, exhibits and publications. In 1981 Lungarotti founded the wine competition in Torgiano called Banco di Assaggio dei Vini d’Italia (BAVI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Region of Umbria, the latter of which took on its management in later years. In 1991 the President of the Italian Republic, decorated Giorgio Lungarotti with the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro.

Chiara Lungarotti: Chiara Lungarotti is the CEO of the various companies forming the Lungarotti Group: the Estate “Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti Srl”, the resort&spa “Le Tre Vaselle” and the “Aziende Agrarie” properties in Torgiano and Montefalco. Chiara entered the company in the early 1990’s flanked by her sister Teresa Severini and guided by her father, Giorgio. Chiara took the helm of the Lungarotti companies at her father’s death in 1999. She has a degree in Agriculture and specialization in Viticulture. She is a Councillor of Federvini, and of Unione Italiana Vini, an Academic of Accademia della Vite e del Vino, an Auxiliary Academic of Accademia dei Georgofili of Florence and a member of the Board of Fondazione Perugia Musica Classica.

Teresa Lungarotti: Teresa has an Enology degree from the Agriculture faculty of the University of Perugia and a specialization from the Institute d’Oenologie de l’Universitè de Bordeaux. Teresa works with her sister Chiara and manages the family company as the marketing and communications manager. She has three children. She was a founder of the association “Le Donne del Vino”. Since 2007 she has been Vice President of Confindustria Perugia and holds many positions in cultural associations and those for promoting the territory, as well as those promoting female entrepreneurship.

Francesco Lungarotti: Francesco, Teresa’s son, has a Law degree from the University of Perugia, followed by a Master in Business Management from Sole 24 Ore Business School in Milan. He then gained work experience with a number of multinational corporations. He returned to Umbria to begin his career at Lungarotti: initially, in the Public Relations and Communications department while supporting the Italian Sales department and working side by side with the entire sales network nation-wide. Subsequently he began developing relationships with Lungarotti’s importers abroad and was then appointed as the Winery’s Export Manager.

Maria Grazia Lungarotti: Maria Grazia obtained a degree in Literature and Art History in the 1950’s at the Università degli Studi di Roma; she lives and works between Perugia and Torgiano where in the 1970’s she has created, the Wine Museum and in more recent years, the Olive and Oil Museum. Maria Grazia is director of the Lungarotti Foundation. She was been awarded by the President of the Italian Republic the title of “Benemerito della cultura e dell’arte” for her activities in favour of Cultural property, the title of “Commendatore dell’Ordine al merito della Repubblica italiana” and most recently, the highest honour conferred by the President of the Italian Republic: “Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana”.

Staff: Oenologist: Vincenzo Pepe (met at Collisioni 2017). Previous staff: Corrado Cantarelli.

Vineyards: After Chiara’s father died she bought land (20ha of vines, 100% red) in the Montefalco region. Cantine Lungarotti: 250ha of vines between Tenuta di Torgiano (230 ha) and Turrita di Montefalco (this is certified organic since 2014. 20ha of vines), 2 wineries (see below), 2,5 million bottles annually.

Organic certification: 2014 First vintage with full organic certification for the (100% red) vines in Montefalco.

Wineries: One in Torgiano. One in Montefalco.

White wines

Torgiano Bianco DOC: 2002 Creamy colour, crisp acidity, fullish body but light in texture, labelled with 11.5% alcohol when tasted at the Tre Veselle Hotel, Torgiano, Wednesday 26th November 2003.

Red wines

Il Bio Rosso: The name translates as ‘the organic red’. | 2014 Umbria Rosso. First organic vintage. Made from Sagrantino but this can only be put on the label if it is labelled as a Sagrantino di Montefalco. 10m in 30hl vats. Not bad – a bit sour but OK, dark fruit, soft/light (Collisioni 16th July 2017).

Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Lungarotti: 2003 13.5%.’ | 2012 Hot. Bit sour and tough, bit harsh, get the medium-high toast from the barrels at Collisioni 16th July 2017. | 2013 Not made. | 2015 100% Sagrantino. Certified organic. 15%. Fermented in stainless steel. 28 days on skins. 12m in barrel. Light filtration. Bottled.

Torgiano Rosso DOC, Rubes: 2000 70% Sangiovese, 30% Canaiolo. Cheesy and light (Torgiano, 2003).

Torgiano Rosso DOC, Rubesco: 2000 70% Sangiovese, 30% Canaiolo. Cheesy and light (Torgiano, 2003).

Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG, Vigna Monticchio–Rubesco: 2013 100% Sangiovese. 14% alc. 0,5g/l residual sugar. Fermented in stainless steel. 12m in botti and barrel.

Other crops: 2017 12ha of olives plus 2,000 trees in the vineyards (Collisioni 2017).

Contact

Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti

Lungarotti Società Agricola, I-06089 Torgiano (PG = Perugia), Italy

Bibliography

Tre Veselle Hotel, Torgiano, Wednesday 27th November 2003.