Zanchi

Cantine Zanchi is a family winery in the hills just outside Amelia, a walled hilltop town in southern Umbria. Licurgo Zanchi started it in 1970, reviving the few old vines left on a neglected farm. The family still runs it, now with a third generation. Its vineyards are certified organic, and it has bottled Ciliegiolo, a local red grape, on its own since the 1970s. Visitors can book a vineyard walk and a cellar tasting by email, Monday to Saturday.

Rows of vines climbing a hillside to a cream farmhouse at Cantine Zanchi near Amelia

About Zanchi

Licurgo Zanchi bought an old farmhouse in the hills outside Amelia in 1970. Its fields had been left untended for years, but a few rows of old vines and some centuries-old olive trees had survived. He brought them back into production and planted new vines from cuttings of the old ones. The family has kept that old stock going ever since.

His son Leonardo and Leonardo's wife, Annamaria, turned the farm into a modern winery. They renovated the cellars and put the focus on local grape varieties, using only plant material from local vineyards. Leonardo spent years tracking down the old grapes of the Amelia hills, helped by experts and by the memories of old growers. Many were close to dying out, dropped in favour of international grapes. With the University of Perugia, he had them described and their DNA tested. The work led to an experimental vineyard, planted in 2008, that tests how each variety grows and what wine it makes. Leonardo died in January 2026. The family is now in its third generation, with his daughters Flores and Flaviana and his son-in-law Mario.

Today the family farms 30 hectares of vines, about 42 football pitches, alongside its olive groves. Both are certified organic. The soil is sandy clay with the remains of marine fossils, and the vines are 20 to 50 years old. Pruning is severe, bunches are thinned, and every bunch left is picked by hand. All the work happens on the estate, from the grapes coming in to the bottling. Wines that need time rest in oak barrels and in bottle, in an underground tunnel that is ventilated naturally.

The family has bottled Ciliegiolo on its own since the 1970s. It is a red grape of central Italy, named for its cherry scent, and it was long used mainly in blends. Carmìno, first made in 1973, is still 100% Ciliegiolo and is sold as Amelia DOC. Sciurio is the family's Riserva red, and its name comes from an old dialect word for the wine of great occasions. Among the Umbria IGT whites, Vignavecchia comes from the oldest vineyard and is made from Trebbiano. Majolo is a Malvasia aged for almost two years in oak. Lu is a sweet red made from Aleatico vines grown on the estate since 1970. Antichi Cloni, or old clones, is a newer range of organic wines. They are made in tiny batches, nearly always from the oldest vines, with as little cellar work as possible.

Visits run Monday to Saturday at 11.00 and 15.30 and take about an hour and a half. A family member walks guests through the old vineyard, where vines grow among centuries-old Rajo olive trees, a variety found only around Amelia. The walk passes the small wood of fallow deer beside the cellar. The tasting is held in the underground ageing cellar, among the big casks and old winemaking tools. Booking is by email, at least three days ahead. The estate belongs to the Strada dei Vini Etrusco Romana, a wine road whose routes cover the hills from Orvieto to Amelia and Narni.

Editorial · ItalianWines.co.uk

Plate I · UMBRIA

Zanchi on the Umbria wine atlas

SP8 Amelia-Orte Km 4,610, 05022 Amelia, Terni (Umbria)
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Visit & Experiences

Experiences at Zanchi

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

Discover Amelia DOC tasting at Zanchi Tasting & Tour

Discover Amelia DOC tasting

About 1.5 hours English, French

A family member walks you through the old vineyard and the cellar, then pours three wines you choose from Armané, Carmìno, Flavo, Pizzale and Arvore. They come with a board of local cured meats, cheeses and baked goods and the estate's own olive oil. Monday to Saturday at 11.00 or 15.30, booked by email at least three days ahead.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Antichi Cloni tasting at Zanchi Tasting & Tour

Antichi Cloni tasting

About 1.5 hours English, French

A family member walks you through the old vineyard and the cellar. Then you taste the three organic Antichi Cloni wines, made from old vines. They are a Ciliegiolo Amelia DOC, a Ciliegiolo rosé and a Malvasia. They come with local cured meats, cheeses and bread with the estate's Rajo olive oil. Book by email at least three days ahead.

Ask the estate

Not bookable online yet

Riserve tasting at Zanchi Tasting & Tour

Riserve tasting

About 1.5 hours English, French

After the vineyard and cellar walk, you taste the estate's three aged wines. Two are Umbria IGT whites, Vignavecchia from Trebbiano and Majolo from Malvasia, and the third is Sciurio, its Amelia Rosso Riserva DOC. Each wine comes with local food, from cured meats and cheeses to the estate's olive oil. Book by email at least three days ahead.

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.

Wines from Zanchi

Wines Coming Soon

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

Plan your visit

cantinezanchi.it/
SP8 Amelia-Orte Km 4,610, 05022 Amelia, Terni (Umbria)
+39 0744970011
[email protected]

Common questions

  • Yes, by appointment. Guided visits with a tasting run Monday to Saturday at 11.00 and 15.30 and last about an hour and a half. Book by email at [email protected] at least three days ahead. The estate also arranges custom visits on request.
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