Tenuta Le Velette

Tenuta Le Velette sits on a plateau of volcanic tuff facing the rock of Orvieto, in south-west Umbria. The brothers Sante and Luigi Felici bought it at auction in 1877, and their family still owns it. Its vineyards make white Orvieto Classico, Umbrian reds and a sweet wine from dried grapes. Some of the wine still ages in cellars that the Etruscans dug into the rock. Visitors can book tastings and cellar tours, join a cooking class or stay in the estate's apartments.

Book a visit 2 experiences · from €25
Vineyards below the terrace at Tenuta Le Velette, with Orvieto on its rock beyond

About Tenuta Le Velette

In 1877 the city of Orvieto sold Le Velette at a public auction, and the brothers Sante and Luigi Felici bought it. It has passed down the same family ever since, through the Muzi and then the Bottai. The new owners made the villa a summer home and laid out its garden. Between 1880 and 1883 Luigi Felici had the Marche painter Mariano Piervittori fresco some of its rooms and part of the chapel. Earlier the estate had belonged to the Negroni counts, who gave it to the Jesuits in 1815. When the Jesuits lost their lands in the mid-1800s, it passed to the city.

The story of the place is far older. The Etruscans grew vines on these hills and dug deep cellars into the tuff, where the temperature suits making and keeping white wine. Many of the cellars in use today date from that time, and some may once have been tombs. Wine now matures there in small oak barrels, and the estate's tours walk through them. The Romans left paved roads, walls and milestones, and a watchtower may once have stood where the villa is now.

Marcello Bottai, an agronomist from Florence, began the changes that made the modern estate. He joined the family after two generations held back by tragic events in the first half of the 1900s. In the 1950s the old single rows of vines gave way to full vineyards, and tenant farming came to an end. In 1958 the estate helped to found a wine consortium, the forerunner of the one that exists today. In 1967 it built modern cellars and began bottling its wine for markets further and further away. The farm covers about 270 hectares, roughly 380 football pitches, at 270 to 330 metres. About 130 of them are vines.

The three Orvieto Classico whites blend local grapes such as Grechetto, Procanico, Malvasia, Verdello and Drupeggio. Berganorio takes its name from a holding listed in the deeds of 1877. Lunato comes from the oldest vineyards, and Rasenna is made in the gently sweet amabile style. Rasenna was the Etruscans' name for their own people. Among the reds, Rosso di Spicca is a Rosso Orvietano of Sangiovese and Canaiolo. It is named after a plot farmed since the mid-1800s. The oldest record of the estate's red wine is a bronze medal it won at an event in Rome in 1884. Calanco blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and is named after the bare clay ridges of the area. Il Raggio is a passito of Moscato, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Its grapes are left to dry on the vine for three to four weeks.

Since 2018 the estate has worked with Deafal, an organisation based in Milan, to farm about 20 hectares in a regenerative way. Cover crops feed the soil and are rolled flat rather than ploughed in. Compost is made from wood chips and waste from the cellar. Olive groves of Moraiolo, Frantoio and Leccino give a small amount of extra virgin oil. Le Velette is a member of the Strada dei Vini Etrusco Romana, the wine road of the province of Terni. Visits range from a 45-minute tasting of four wines to a four-hour cooking class. The estate also lets restored apartments among its vines.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · UMBRIA

Tenuta Le Velette on the Umbria wine atlas

Anchored in Orvieto, the editorial heart of Umbria.

Località Le Velette, 05018 Orvieto, Terni (Umbria)
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Visit & Experiences

2 bookable experiences at Tenuta Le Velette

2 tastings, checked by our editors. From €25.

Hosted by the estate2 available

Territory Tour & Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette at Tenuta Le Velette Tasting & Tour

Territory Tour & Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette

45 min From €25 per person Deutsch · English · Italiano

45 minutes dedicated to discovering the origins of Le Velette Estate and its products. Taste 4 wines and visit the cellar dug in tuff rock

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via Winedering

Emotions Tour & Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette at Tenuta Le Velette Tasting & Tour

Emotions Tour & Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette

1h 30 From €30 per person Deutsch · English · Italiano

The perfect experience to discover in detail the history of Le Velette Estate, their philosophy & taste 5 wines paired with local products

Book this tour

via Winedering

Food and Wine Tour in the Villa at Tenuta Le Velette Tasting & Tour

Food and Wine Tour in the Villa

3 hours Price on request English, German, Italian

Five wines with local food, served in the villa at the heart of the estate. The visit also takes in the modern cellars, the cellars dug into the tuff and the villa's private cellars.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Cooking Class with Wine Tasting at Tenuta Le Velette Food Pairing

Cooking Class with Wine Tasting

4 hours Price on request English, Italian

A visit to the cellars and the old barrel cellar dug into the tuff, then a lesson in traditional Umbrian dishes chosen from what is in season. You taste them with the estate's wines and take the recipe book home. For two people or more; the price depends on the size of the group.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Apartments on the Estate at Tenuta Le Velette Accommodation

Apartments on the Estate

Restored apartments set among the vines, for two to ten people. Dates and prices on request through the estate's contact page.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Tours that visit Tenuta Le VeletteRun by a tour operator. The estate is one stop of several. Booking completes on the platform that runs the tour.

Orvieto: Tour and wine tasting at Tenuta Le Velette

1 day From €30 per person Departs Orvieto
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Wines from Tenuta Le Velette

Wines Coming Soon

Wines for this winery are still being curated. Check back as the UK retailer selection expands.

Plan your visit

tenutalevelette.com/
Località Le Velette, 05018 Orvieto, Terni (Umbria)
+39 076329090
[email protected]

Common questions

  • Yes, by booking. The Territory Tour lasts 45 minutes and pours four wines, and the Emotion Tour lasts about 90 minutes and pours five with local food. Both include the cellars dug into the tuff, and you can book them on the estate's website or on Winedering. A three-hour food and wine tour in the villa is priced on request.
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