This is a Hipmunk post from Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads 

As part of the trip through Umbria, I visited a slew of vineyards, medieval towns and restaurants from the region. While I’ve heard so much more about wines from elsewhere in the country, I never tried any from Umbria. Happily, I can now say that I’ve tasted quite a few. One of the vineyards that stood out was Terre Margaritelli, located on a hill called Miralduolo, between the towns of Perugia and Assisi.

Part of what makes the visit so charming is the couple who helps run the winery, Federico Bibi from Italy and his wife Jennifer McIlvaine, from  Philadelphia. Jennifer is a chef and blogs at Life…Italian Style and together they explained that while the vineyard had been around since the 1950s, only six years ago did they start selling wines as a retail offering. Before that, the grapes were sold to other bottlers, divided into red and white sections but with little knowledge of what varieties were planted in the vineyard. So 12 years ago, they decided to replant everything and thus understand (and control) exactly what grapes were being used. They also decided to become certified organic and run the kitchen under the same principles.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but if any Hipmunks are in Italy, you’d be remiss to skip Umbria. It tastes delicious!

-Jodi