Montecorneo 2024 Hambre IGT Umbria Bianco

Hambre ("hunger" in Spanish), comes from an old adage that "you'll never be hungry if you use the Grechetto grapes until the end." Apparently, most winemakers in the area nowadays only use the first press of Grechetto, because the juice has a tendency to quickly turn amber in color with exposure to oxygen. The skins also impart tannic structure to the juice, so the latter part of the press of Grechetto is typically not used. Sara and her brother Federico do things the old fashioned way, using all of the Grechetto. This is not really a skin contact wine, but there is amber hue in the glass. By no means overly tannic, it does have some grip, and would likely be a fantastic pairing with meats, cheeses, or a homemade pasta with light cream sauce, mushrooms and artichokes that I saw on Montecorneo's instagram that looked absolutely delicious!  

Notes from the Montecorneo website: The grapes are the same as from Leonia, but they are processed after the soft pressing of Leonia in a vertical press, in contact with oxygen. This allows us to make the tannin less astringent, and fermentation continues without contact with the skins in steel. The amber color comes from a concentration of color, not from maceration. At the end of fermentation, the batches are assembled in steel. The goal of this vinification was to better understand the Grechetto skins and "not throw anything away." "Hambre," meaning hunger, is a tribute to the rustic nature of the Grechetto skins. The painting found in Francesco's studio on Rue Rivoli depicts Amber and everything aligned in the shades of amber that the colors and the wine demonstrate. Dedicated to the knowledge that enhances, instead of throwing away!

Label artwork by Francesco 59