Carlo Tabarrini grew up driving his father's tractor through the family vineyards near Perugia, where wine was made for the table and grapes were sold to others. Cantina Margo is his grown-up answer to that childhood: vivid, direct Umbrian wine made with nothing added.
Backstory
Carlo leased vines in Sant'Enea from 2002, struck out fully on his own around 2008 and 2009, and from 2016 made Cantina Margo his sole focus. He started with half a hectare of abandoned or neglected vineyard and has since grown to manage close to three hectares.
The Region
The estate sits inland in Umbria, around Perugia and the town of Sant'Enea, with a reputation for restoring overlooked sites in a region better known for its reds than its naturalists.
Vineyards & Farming
Carlo farms biodynamically, working the way his grandparents and father did, with no additions in the vineyard. The vines are split between the Perugian hills at about 180 meters and a site overlooking Lake Trasimeno at roughly 500 meters, on soils rich in marl, limestone and clay. The grapes are Trebbiano, Grechetto and Sangiovese.
Winemaking
In the cellar Carlo continues the no-additions philosophy, letting native yeasts and traditional methods carry each wine, producing whites, an orange wine and ancestral-method sparklers.
The Wines
Cuvees such as Regio, Fiero, Resistenza Rurale and the AC/DT bottlings range from skin-contact whites to lively pet-nats and honest Umbrian reds, all marked by clarity and character.
