Perticaia

The early vineyards and the 2003 vintage

Perticaia has produced wine for more than two decades in the hills near Montefalco. Its 2003 Sagrantino was the first vintage made from newly established vineyards. The exceptionally hot season prompted stringent yield control: production was restricted to one bunch per vine.

The estate subsequently became an early advocate for the rediscovery and promotion of Trebbiano Spoletino, an old grape variety described as having mountain origins. The variety developed into one of Perticaia’s defining expressions of its Umbrian identity.

The 2018 transfer of ownership

In 2018 the founder retired and transferred the small, family-run winery to a new owner. The Becca family—wine enthusiasts and entrepreneurs active in Luxembourg—took control with the intention of investing in their Umbrian homeland while retaining the winery’s history and values.

Experts examined the wines resting in the maturation rooms during the transition. Particular interest centred on carefully preserved stocks, principally from the 2014 and 2015 vintages. Organoleptic and chemical assessments, supported by production records, associated these lots closely with Montefalco’s local red varieties. After their quality was evaluated, selected lots were assembled as a Private Collection red, now presented in the principal range as ROFV Collezione Privata.

The estate today

Perticaia now has 34 hectares under vine. Its core production encompasses Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, including Passito, Montefalco Rosso DOC and Montefalco Rosso DOC Riserva, alongside wines centred on Trebbiano Spoletino. A young team continues the project under the Becca family, pursuing greater quality and elegance while linking future growth to environmental responsibility and cooperation with other local enterprises.

Vineyard work is adjusted closely to each season. Perticaia identifies soil management, canopy management, green operations, disease protection and harvest timing as decisive tools for carrying healthy fruit through difficult conditions.

Yield restriction was particularly severe in 2003, when the first Sagrantino crop from the new vineyards was limited to one bunch per vine. In the wet 2014 season, intensive agronomic management and vine protection preserved grape quality. Low humidity simplified disease control in 2015. Careful green work and correctly timed picking were central in 2021, when spring frost and a hot, rainless summer reduced the crop but allowed balanced fruit to be selected.

The 2023 season required extensive work to contain downy mildew and powdery mildew after heavy late-spring rainfall; disease pressure caused a substantial reduction in yield. In 2024, precise management of the soil and canopy prevented drought-stressed vines from suffering a complete physiological stop. September rain then allowed later-ripening varieties to finish maturation, and close attention during picking preserved sound, intact grapes despite renewed rain and falling temperatures in October.

Harvesting is performed manually in crates. Depending on the variety and intended style, work may begin in the early morning or coolest hours, include bunch selection in the vineyard, and proceed in multiple passes. Perticaia is also introducing precision-agriculture equipment through a PNRR-supported mechanisation project comprising a double mower, a telemetry module with SIM and GPS receiver, and a trailed Lochmann sprayer.

Perticaia’s production combines temperature-controlled cellar work with stainless steel, French oak and bottle maturation. Red-wine production employs controlled-temperature fermentation and skin maceration, with the duration adjusted to the intended structure. Mature red lots may spend extended periods in stainless steel before oak and bottle refinement, while the principal structured reds mature in French oak.

White-grape handling can include refrigeration, gentle pressing of intact berries in a controlled environment, cold static clarification and fermentation of clear must in stainless steel. The more structured Trebbiano Spoletino approach adds cold maceration of intact berries, extraction of free-run juice, partial maturation in tonneaux and bâtonnage on fine lees. Fresher styles remain on their fine lees in steel.

Passito production uses naturally dried Sagrantino laid on mats, with repeated berry selection. Fermentation proceeds at controlled temperature until the intended residual-sugar level is reached, followed by maturation in French-oak tonneaux and bottle refinement.

Across the range, manual harvesting and vineyard selection precede cellar processing. The available maturation vessels include stainless-steel tanks, large oak vessels, barriques and tonneaux, with bottle ageing used to complete the longer maturation cycles.