Where is Barberani winery located?

Barberani is on the hills above Lake Corbara, in the Classico zone of Orvieto in southwestern Umbria. The estate is at Baschi, in the province of Terni, on the road from Orvieto to Todi. The family also runs a wine shop in Orvieto town, on Via Lorenzo Maitani next to the Duomo.

Is Barberani certified organic?

Yes. Barberani has been certified organic since the 1980s, decades before organic farming became common in Italian wine. Vineyard work is done by hand, including the harvest. In the cellar the wines are handled with physical steps rather than chemical treatments.

What grapes does Barberani grow?

The whites are built on Grechetto, the main grape of Orvieto Classico, with Procanico, Verdello and Drupeggio in support. The reds use Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, blended in the Polvento label. Moscato supplies the dessert Passito.

What is Calcaia, and how is it different from regular Orvieto?

Calcaia is Barberani's sweet golden wine, made from Grechetto grapes touched by noble rot, the mould Botrytis cinerea. Autumn fog off Lake Corbara brings the damp air the rot needs, and it concentrates the grapes on the vine. It suits blue cheeses and aged pecorino, unlike the dry, savoury whites the estate is otherwise known for.

Can you visit Barberani for a tasting?

Yes. The Baschi estate runs tastings by appointment, generally Monday to Friday. Enoteca Barberani in Orvieto town opens daily for tastings and retail. To book a cellar visit, write to info@barberani.com or call +39 0763 341820.

Who runs Barberani today?

The estate is in its third generation, run by the brothers Niccolo and Bernardo Barberani. The consultant winemaker Maurizio Castelli works with the cellar. The top white selection carries the names of Luigi and Giovanna Barberani, the founder's son and daughter-in-law, who extended the estate.

Barberani

Barberani sits on the hills above Lake Corbara, where the Tiber widens before turning south. This is the historic Classico zone of Orvieto. Vittorio Barberani planted the first vines here in 1961, along the road from Orvieto to Todi. Three generations later the estate covers more than 100 hectares, about 140 football pitches, of vines, olive groves and tall forest. It has been certified organic since the 1980s. Grechetto leads the whites, and autumn fog off the lake shrivels the grapes that make the sweet Calcaia.

Umbria
Est. 1961
5 wines
Tastings
Tours
Booking required

See the wines 5 listed

Barberani's vineyards above Lake Corbara at dusk, seen from above

View Wine

About Barberani

Vittorio Barberani planted the first family vines in 1961, along the road from Orvieto to Todi. The soils here are lime and clay, laid down by an ancient sea and by volcanoes, and they slope towards Lake Corbara. This stretch of hills is the oldest part of the Orvieto Classico zone, the heart of one of Italy's longest white-wine traditions. Vittorio's son Luigi and Luigi's wife Giovanna added the Monticelli property. Their sons Niccolo and Bernardo run the estate today.

The family owns more than 100 hectares, with 55 planted to vine. About 30 stay as woodland, which locks away an estimated 240 tonnes of carbon a year. All vineyard work is done by hand, harvest included. The switch to organic farming was finished in the 1980s, long before organic wine became common in Italy. Cover crops and green manure feed the soil between the rows. In the cellar, problems are fixed by physical steps, not by adding chemicals.

The whites lean on Grechetto, the main grape of Orvieto Classico. Procanico, Verdello and Drupeggio support it, in the traditional blend the local rules require. Castagnolo is the entry point, an Orvieto Classico Superiore. Luigi e Giovanna is a cellar selection from older parcels.

In autumn, fog rises off Lake Corbara and hangs among the vines. In that damp air the noble rot, Botrytis cinerea, shrivels Grechetto grapes and concentrates their juice. Those berries make Calcaia, Barberani's sweet wine. On the red side, Polvento blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A Moscato Passito closes the range as a dessert wine. The estate makes around 250,000 bottles a year, with the consultant winemaker Maurizio Castelli guiding the cellar.

Visits at the Baschi cellar run by appointment, generally Monday to Friday. Tastings cover the white range and the Polvento red, with the vineyards and the lake in view. The family also runs Enoteca Barberani in Orvieto town, on Via Lorenzo Maitani next to the Duomo. It opens daily for tastings and bottle sales.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · UMBRIA

Barberani on the Umbria wine atlas

Anchored in Orvieto, the editorial heart of Umbria.

Località Cerreto, 05023 Baschi, Terni (Umbria)

Get directions

Visit & Experiences

Experiences at Barberani

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

At a glance, editorially verified

Tastings Not bookable here

Tours Not bookable here

Accommodation Not available

Booking Required in advance

Tasting & Tour

Estate visit and tasting at the Baschi cellar

Guided tour of the cellar at Vocabolo Mignattaro on the hills above Lake Corbara, with a flight of the Orvieto Classico Superiore range and the Polvento red. By appointment, generally Monday to Friday.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Tasting

Tasting and retail at Enoteca Barberani in Orvieto

The family's wine shop on Via Lorenzo Maitani, next to the Duomo. Open daily 10:00 to 19:00 for tastings and bottle purchases, alongside a curated selection of other Italian wines.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Not seeing the estate you want? Estates without an online listing are reachable directly, and their phone and email are in Plan your visit.

Plan your visit

barberani.com/

Località Cerreto, 05023 Baschi, Terni (Umbria)

+39 0763341820

[email protected]

Common questions

Barberani is on the hills above Lake Corbara, in the Classico zone of Orvieto in southwestern Umbria. The estate is at Baschi, in the province of Terni, on the road from Orvieto to Todi. The family also runs a wine shop in Orvieto town, on Via Lorenzo Maitani next to the Duomo.
Yes. Barberani has been certified organic since the 1980s, decades before organic farming became common in Italian wine. Vineyard work is done by hand, including the harvest. In the cellar the wines are handled with physical steps rather than chemical treatments.
The whites are built on Grechetto, the main grape of Orvieto Classico, with Procanico, Verdello and Drupeggio in support. The reds use Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, blended in the Polvento label. Moscato supplies the dessert Passito.
Calcaia is Barberani's sweet golden wine, made from Grechetto grapes touched by noble rot, the mould Botrytis cinerea. Autumn fog off Lake Corbara brings the damp air the rot needs, and it concentrates the grapes on the vine. It suits blue cheeses and aged pecorino, unlike the dry, savoury whites the estate is otherwise known for.
Yes. The Baschi estate runs tastings by appointment, generally Monday to Friday. Enoteca Barberani in Orvieto town opens daily for tastings and retail. To book a cellar visit, write to [email protected] or call +39 0763 341820.
The estate is in its third generation, run by the brothers Niccolo and Bernardo Barberani. The consultant winemaker Maurizio Castelli works with the cellar. The top white selection carries the names of Luigi and Giovanna Barberani, the founder's son and daughter-in-law, who extended the estate.

Get in touch

Have a question or need help with a booking?

Tell us what you need and we'll help you reach Barberani and arrange a visit or tour. We reply within two working days.

More wineries in Umbria

See all Umbria wineries

Umbria · Torgiano

Lungarotti

The Lungarotti family's modern winery, founded by Giorgio in 1962 in the Tiber valley town of Torgiano. It bottles Umbria's first DOCG, Torgiano Rosso Riserva, from the Vigna Monticchio cru, alongside the everyday Rubesco Rosso di Torgiano DOC and a Montefalco Sagrantino range from Tenuta Brancalupo. VIVA-certified and run by the sisters Chiara and Teresa, with two cellars open for tasting, two museums and the Le Tre Vaselle relais.

Sangiovese

Grechetto

Vermentino

16wines From £12.65

Umbria · Montefalco

Arnaldo Caprai

Founded by Arnaldo Caprai in 1971 and led by his son Marco since 1986, this Montefalco estate set the modern dry Sagrantino style. The 25 Anni is its benchmark wine. The cellar runs tastings every day and holds the Equalitas sustainability standard.

Sagrantino

Merlot

Sangiovese

15wines From £12.54

Est. 1940

Umbria · Ficulle

Castello della Sala

Castello della Sala is Antinori's Umbrian estate near Ficulle, built around a 14th century fortress. It is known for Cervaro della Sala, Muffato della Sala and Pinot Nero della Sala. The listed bottles centre on Umbria IGT, with grapes such as Chardonnay, Grechetto and Sauvignon Blanc.

Chardonnay

Grechetto

Semillon

10wines From £18.76

Est. 1999

Umbria · Todi

Roccafiore

Roccafiore is a 15-hectare Baccarelli family estate above Todi, built on Grechetto di Todi clone G5 and Sangiovese on south-east-facing clay and marl slopes. With the Wine Resort and Spa, the Wine Chalet and Ristorante Fiorfiore, it is one of Umbria's easiest cellars to visit. It is certified under VIVA for sustainability and belongs to FIVI.

Grechetto

Sagrantino

Trebbiano

4wines From £13.70

Barberani

Barberani Grechetto

Foresco Umbria, Barberani

Orvieto Classico Superiore Castagnolo Barberani

Orvieto Classico Superiore Luigi e Giovanna, Barberani

Orvieto Classico Superiore Muffa Nobile 'Calcaia' Barberani

About Barberani

Barberani on the Umbria wine atlas

Denominations Produced

Grapes Used

Denominations Produced

Grapes Used

Experiences at Barberani

Estate visit and tasting at the Baschi cellar

Tasting and retail at Enoteca Barberani in Orvieto

Plan your visit

Common questions

Have a question or need help with a booking?

Lungarotti

Arnaldo Caprai

Castello della Sala

Roccafiore