Castello di Montegiove

Castello di Montegiove is a 13th-century castle in the hills of western Umbria, on the old border between Orvieto and Perugia. The Misciattelli family has owned it since 1780. Lorenzo Misciattelli manages the estate today and makes its wines, mostly reds from Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Sagrantino. Visitors can book a tour of about two hours through the castle and its old cellars, ending with a tasting. The estate also lets three apartments, with a salt-water pool for guests.

Book a visit 3 experiences · from €29
Castello di Montegiove on top of a wooded hill, seen over a row of vines under a cloudy sky

About Castello di Montegiove

The Misciattelli marquises have held Montegiove since 1780. The castle itself is far older. The Bulgarelli family, counts of Marsciano, built it between 1278 and 1282. Its name means Jupiter's hill. A Roman temple to Jupiter Elicius stood here, and two terracotta heads of the god have been found. Later owners included the mercenary captain Gattamelata and the Monaldeschi della Vipera, a family Dante names in the Divine Comedy. In the late 19th century Marchese Lorenzo Misciattelli restored the castle as a home and a winery. His son Paolo carried the work on.

Today the estate is run by the present marchese, another Lorenzo, who lives here with his family. An agronomist with a PhD, he grew up in Denmark and moved to Montegiove with his wife Rikke in 2002. He checks the vineyards every day. His biggest change was to farm fewer plots than the estate had in the 1970s, so it could concentrate on grape quality. The estate also helps to lead a local project that brings back old Umbrian vines. With the Ministry of Agriculture, a two-year search turned up more than 50 different plants. Some of them appear to be unknown varieties. A collection of these old red and white vines now grows on the estate.

Every production vineyard here is planted with red grapes. That is unusual, because the estate lies inside the zone for Orvieto, a white wine. Its ground is different, though. It is richer in clay and limestone, closer to the soils of Siena in Tuscany than to Orvieto's volcanic soil. The land climbs from 380 to 620 metres, and each grape goes where the soil and sun suit it. The first written record of vines here dates from 1292. The oldest vineyard still in use was planted in 1968. All the work on about 13 hectares of vines, roughly 18 football pitches, is done by hand, from pruning to picking.

The wine is still made, aged and bottled inside the castle. Its cellars were partly built before the 1400s and refitted in 2008. Five of the six reds are sold as Orvietano Rosso, the local red DOC. Gatto Gatto, a young blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero, is named after the battle cry of Gattamelata and his garrison. Elicius pairs Montepulciano with Sagrantino. T. is pure Sagrantino from one vineyard, La Selva, aged for two years in new French oak barrels. It carries the initial of the late Marchese Tommaso, who brought Sagrantino, a red grape native to Umbria, to the estate. A rosé and an Orvieto Classico white complete the range. The estate makes about 50,000 bottles a year and sells three quarters of them abroad.

The castle is privately owned, so every visit is booked ahead. Tours start at the estate's wine shop in the hamlet of Montegiove. They take in part of the castle, its old cellars and the chapel of the Blessed Angelina, who founded a community of Franciscan nuns. Each tour ends with a tasting, and the owners lead it when they can. The estate covers nearly 1,200 hectares, about 12 square kilometres, and two thirds of it is woodland. Black truffles grow there, and nearly 1,500 olive trees give the estate's oil. Guests in the three apartments share a salt-water infinity pool with a view over the valley.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · UMBRIA

Castello di Montegiove on the Umbria wine atlas

Anchored in Orvieto, the editorial heart of Umbria.

Via Beata Angelina 1, Frazione Montegiove, 05010 Montegabbione, Terni (Umbria)
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Visit & Experiences

3 bookable experiences at Castello di Montegiove

3 tastings, checked by our editors. From €29.

A dip in the Middle Ages pampered by wine glasses at Castello di Montegiove Tasting & Tour

A dip in the Middle Ages pampered by wine glasses

2h 30 From €45 per person

We will accompany our visitors on a pleasant walk inside the walls of the medieval castle. We will visit the oldest and most evocative part of the castle and then enter the basement of the cellar, where we still produce our wines today. The visit will end with a wine tasting - Orvieto Classico DOC and Orvietano Rosso DOC - and our extra virgin olive oil.

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via Winalist

Tour and tasting at Castello di Montegiove at Castello di Montegiove Tasting & Tour

Tour and tasting at Castello di Montegiove

2h From €29 per person Danish · English · Italiano

A sensory journey within the walls of a medieval castle and its cellars. A plunge into the past accompanied by the tasting of 3 fine wines!

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via Winedering

Terroir Tour and Wine Tasting at Castello di Montegiove at Castello di Montegiove Tasting & Tour

Terroir Tour and Wine Tasting at Castello di Montegiove

2h From €40 per person Danish · English · Italiano

A sensory journey within the walls of a medieval castle and its cellars. A plunge into the past accompanied by the tasting of 4 fine wines!

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via Winedering

Three apartments on the castle estate at Castello di Montegiove Accommodation

Three apartments on the castle estate

La Casetta sleeps two, Il Leccino five and Il Moraiolo six, and each has its own kitchen. The two larger apartments are about 155 square metres each, over two floors. Book directly with the estate by email or phone.

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Wines from Castello di Montegiove

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castellomontegiove.com/
Via Beata Angelina 1, Frazione Montegiove, 05010 Montegabbione, Terni (Umbria)
+39 0763837473
[email protected]

Common questions

  • Yes, but only by booking ahead, because the castle is privately owned. Tours start at the estate's wine shop in the hamlet of Montegiove. They visit part of the castle, its old cellars and the chapel of the Blessed Angelina, then end with a tasting of the estate's wines. Three versions of the tour can be booked online on this page. The estate can also arrange a light buffet or a seated tasting, with gluten-free food for coeliac guests.
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