Azienda Vinicola La Carraia

La Carraia is a family winery in the hills between Orvieto and Baschi, in south-west Umbria. Odoardo Gialletti founded it in 1988 with the winemaker Riccardo Cotarella, who still works with the estate. Odoardo now runs it with his sons, Mauro and Marco. Their vines grow on five farms, mostly on volcanic soil full of pebbles. The range starts with Orvieto Classico and runs to Fobiano, a red made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Guided visits of the cellar and vineyards are by appointment.

Rows of vines at La Carraia running downhill towards houses, woods and a road bridge in the valley

About Azienda Vinicola La Carraia

Before La Carraia, Odoardo Gialletti spent years serving wine rather than making it. He had worked the fields and vines as a teenager, but in the late 1960s he went into hotels and restaurants. That showed him wine from the drinker's side. For a while he split his time between the vines and the restaurant, then went back to farming for good. He wanted a serious wine that was still easy to enjoy. In 1988 he founded the estate with Riccardo Cotarella, a winemaker known far beyond Italy, who still works with it. Today Odoardo works alongside his sons, Mauro and Marco, and a large team.

Odoardo still looks after the family's vineyards himself. Over the years the family has learned which grape suits which spot, from local Grechetto and Procanico to Merlot and Chardonnay. The vines are spread over five farms south of Orvieto, each with its own soil and its own angle to the sun. Four of them, Porticina, Calvelli, Murotondo and Sanale, lie over the boundary in Baschi, on the hills facing the cellar. The fifth, Castellunchio, is on the hill just above the winery. Most of the soil is volcanic and full of pebbles, with patches of clay, sand and limestone.

The first wine, in 1988, was an Orvieto Classico, a DOC white named after the town of Orvieto. It came from vine clones chosen for low yields and good aroma. A few years later came an Orvieto Classico Superiore, first sold as Poggio Calvelli and now simply as Calvelli. The reds began with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, grapes then seen as out of place in a district known for its white wine. Fobiano, a blend of the two, first came out in 1995 after a year in French barriques. It is still the estate's top red. A Sangiovese, sold as Umbria IGT, followed in 1997. Tizzonero and Solcato came next, then the Porticina range, where each wine is made from one grape, such as Grechetto, Viognier or Syrah.

Later the family turned back to white wine, and to local history for the names. Conte Marzio, a Chardonnay, honours a count of the Baschi family, the old lords of the village of Baschi. Monaldo '809', a white blend launched in 2024, is named after Monaldo, who is said to have settled in Orvieto around the year 809. He founded the Monaldeschi, a leading Orvieto family. Dante wrote their feud with the Filippeschi into the Divine Comedy. Quattropietre arrived the same year. It is a Cabernet Sauvignon put together from four vintages, left unfiltered and bottled by hand in numbered bottles.

Visits are by appointment. The Strada dei Vini Etrusco Romana, the local wine road, lists guided tours of the cellar and the vineyards, with English spoken. The first cellar was under the family house. The winery itself went up next to it in the early 2000s, and now handles every job from fermenting to bottling. The main barrel room was dug entirely by hand into tuff, the local volcanic stone. The rock naturally keeps the temperature and humidity right for ageing wine. A second barrel room, built more recently under the house, has thick stone walls and air conditioning.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · UMBRIA

Azienda Vinicola La Carraia on the Umbria wine atlas

Anchored in Orvieto, the editorial heart of Umbria.

Località Tordimonte, 56, 05018 Orvieto, Terni (Umbria)
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Visit & Experiences

Experiences at Azienda Vinicola La Carraia

Nothing here can be booked online yet. The experiences below are documented by our editors. The estate's contact details are in Practical info.

Guided visit of the cellar and vineyards at Azienda Vinicola La Carraia Tour

Guided visit of the cellar and vineyards

English

A guided visit of the cellar and the vineyards, arranged in advance with the estate. Groups are welcome by booking as well, and English is spoken. No price or length is published, so ask when you book.

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Wines from Azienda Vinicola La Carraia

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lacarraia.it/
Località Tordimonte, 56, 05018 Orvieto, Terni (Umbria)
+39 0763304013
[email protected]

Common questions

  • La Carraia is at Località Tordimonte 56, 05018 Orvieto, in the countryside between Orvieto and Baschi in south-west Umbria. The estate says it is a few kilometres from the A1, the motorway between Florence and Rome.
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